Chapter 1: Kicking off the Summer

Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock

The sounds of the clock on the wall were driving Scootaloo mad with anticipation. She knew it wouldn’t be much longer now. Only a few more minutes until she heard the sound that would signal her freedom. She glanced up at the clock, which read 3:27.

Come on, come on!, thought Scootaloo. Is it just me or is this clock going slower?!

She glanced to her right to see her friends. A yellow earth pony named Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, a white unicorn filly, both of whom were in a similar state of excitement. Despite trying to maintain a calm demeanor, Scootaloo could see Apple Bloom quietly tapping her hind hoof on the floor just under her desk. Behind her, Sweetie Belle had resorted to twirling a pencil in the air with her magic just to keep herself occupied. A glance across the entire room revealed that everypony in the room was trying their best to contain their excitement.

3:28. Frustrated by the pace of the clock, Scootaloo tried to calm herself down. She took a couple of deep breaths, closed her eyes, and counted to ten. She even checked her saddle bag to make sure everything was there. But alas, the anticipation would always come back by twofold.

She glanced up to see her teacher, Miss. Cheerilee, smiling back to the class. The magenta earth pony knew how excited the students would get around this time of the day. But today in particular was something everypony, herself included, looked forward too.

3:29. Almost there, just a few more seconds!

Everypony’s eyes were glued to the clock. A few were leaning over their desks. Their smiles slowly grew wider as anticipation grew. As the second hand reached the fifty mark, Scootaloo’s wings began to buzz in excitement.

Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock, Tick…

Time seemed to slow to a crawl. What felt like a whole minute was, in reality, nothing more than a second as everypony watched with bated breath.

...Tock, Drrrrriiinnnngggg!

Everypony in the room cheered and rushed towards the door at the sound of the final bell. Finally, summer vacation was here! No more early mornings, no more homework, no more dirty looks from Ms. Cheerilee because somepony put a fake spider in her desk drawer. Just three months worth of warm weather, picnics, relaxation, and quality time with friends. Scootaloo's mind was racing with the possibilities of what she and her friends could do as she galloped towards the school gate.

“Finally!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed. “I thought that bell would never ring."

“I know right!?” Scootaloo replied. “I swear, I was about ready to jump right out the window and make a break for it if the stupid thing didn’t go off when it did! I wouldn't have bothered to open it either, just bust right through it and go."

“Somehow I doubt you would actually break through the glass.” Apple Bloom said skeptically. “I’m pretty sure Ms. Cheerilee had somepony reinforce the rest of the windows after that tetherball incident a few weeks back." Before the playground equipment was replaced, Snips and Snails were facing each other in a close game of tetherball. The last round almost shattered the record for the longest round in school. Instead though, something else was shattered.

“Oh yeah. I don’t think that escape would end well.” Sweetie Belle said. She and Apple Bloom giggled at the mental image of Scootaloo attempting to break out through a window, only to bounce right off of it.

“Hey, come on! You all have seen me with my scooter. If there’s anything I know for sure, it’s how to crash through something.” Scootaloo said matter-of-factly. Indeed, all three of them were well aware of her exploits and mishaps with her scooter. As adept as she was in clearing a ramp or grinding across a rail, she was also good at colliding into hay bales, carts, and Applejack’s market stall. After taking a moment to reflect on that, all three of them burst out laughing.

After taking a moment to catch their breath, Sweetie Belle asked the question that was on everypony’s mind. “So, what do you girls wanna do now?"

Before anyone could put forth any suggestions, they heard somepony say, “How about the lake?”

They all turned to find the source of the voice, Diamond Tiara, heading towards them with her best friend Silver Spoon next to her. “We were gonna head over there and have a little end of the school year celebration. You wanna come?"

It was pretty nice out, not a cloud in the sky and a gentle breeze blowing. It was the perfect day to go for a swim or just simply relax in the nice weather. The three of them looked at each other, nodding in agreement. “Alright, sounds like fun.” said Apple Bloom. “Just let me get a few things from my place, and I’ll meet ya’ll there." And with that, everypony ran back to their homes to get whatever they needed for a fun day at the lake.

The water at the lake was crystal clear. Thanks to the afternoon sunlight, one could almost see the entirety of the lake from underwater. With these conditions in mind, Scootaloo thought that this would be a great opportunity to look for anything valuable at the bottom of the lake. Lots of ponies came here all the time, surely they would accidentally lose some stuff every so often. Unfortunately, her search seemed more and more like a fool’s errand.

She swore that she’d searched the entire lake at least three times already, and found nothing worth keeping. Currently, Scootaloo was floating just under the surface, breathing through a snorkel, and scanning the bottom of the lake through her mask. After a quick look around, she determined that she covered everything she could. Reluctantly admitting defeat, Scootaloo returned to the surface, spat out her snorkel, and looked at the sizable gathering of ponies around the lake.

As it turns out, lots of other ponies were taking advantage of the great weather as well. The Cutie Mark Crusaders, Silver Spoon, and Diamond Tiara managed to claim a spot under a shady tree with a good view of the lake before a majority of the crowd showed up. They spotted quite a few of their classmates playing by the water, swimming in the lake, or just relaxing with friends and family. They also spotted, unsurprisingly, Pinkie Pie herself organizing games and giving out gift bags to the school ponies. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Diamond Tiara, and Silver Spoon were enjoying some fresh apple juice, courtesy of Apple Bloom.

Silver Spoon glanced towards the water to see Scootaloo wading her way towards the group. “Ahh, at long last, the treasure hunter returns!” Silver Spoon said, raising her apple juice towards her. “Any luck?"

“Nope,” said Scootaloo with a slight smile, which grew a bit more when Apple Bloom offered her a bottle of apple juice.

“No dice, huh?” said Apple Bloom.

“Actually, I did find some dice down there.” replied Scootaloo. “But they were pretty old and covered with algae, so I didn’t keep them." The group shared a slight chuckle hearing that.

“So, Apple Bloom. You wanted to talk to us about something?” asked Sweetie Belle.

Apple Bloom paused mid-sip of her drink. “Yeah, I did. Do ya’ll have any plans for the next couple of weeks?"

Everypony else looked at each other and shrugged. It was apparent that the general consensus was “not really". Apple Bloom smiled as she reached into her saddlebag and said, “Well how would you feel about going to a summer camp together for a week? Applejack said that Camp Friendship is having their summer opening the week after next.” She continued as she hoofed out pamphlets to everypony, “From what I’ve heard, it seems like a great place to spend the week. Plus, Applejack said that she has some great memories from when she went there."

As Apple Bloom continued her pitch, everypony else was looking through the pamphlet. It showed fillies and colts doing activities such as rock climbing, swimming, having a bonfire, or talking with friends over a meal. It did look like fun. “So, what do you think?”

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle looked at the pamphlets, lost in their own thoughts. It didn’t take long for them to reach their decisions. “Sounds like a pretty awesome way to kick off the summer. I’m game!” said Scootaloo.

Sweetie Belle nodded in agreement. “Sure, it’s been awhile since we’ve gone camping together."

Apple Bloom looked over at Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, a hopeful look in her eyes. Both fillies looked at the pamphlets with a conflicted look in their eyes. The very concept of spending a week outdoors seemed foreign to the fillies. They were used to summers spent at home, in a pool, or at a luxurious hotel. At the same time though, they both wanted to spend some time getting to know their new friends.

Diamond Tiara was the first to speak, “Well, it sounds like a decent place.” she said with some hesitation in her voice. “It’s just that, uh...well I’ve never actually been camping before. Not even for a day."

“Well, there's a first time for everything.” Sweetie Belle chimed in.

“Well, there's also...um—” Diamond began.

“Your mother?” Silver Spoon finished. Diamond Tiara slowly nodded.

Everypony grimaced at the mention of Diamond Tiara’s mother, Spoiled Rich. After Pipsqueak was elected the school’s Student Pony President, the Cutie Mark Crusaders discovered that the main reason behind Diamond’s bullying nature was because her mother instilled that mentality in her. Diamond Tiara could only imagine her mother’s reaction if she proposed wanting to go to a summer camp crawling with “low-lifes".

“Part of me wants to go, really,” Diamond Tiara told them with a slight smile. “But I doubt my mother would even look at the permission slip."

Silver Spoon put a hoof to her chin. “Hmm, what if you told her that I was going too?” she suggested. Diamond looked at Silver Spoon with a raised eyebrow. “Think about it. Your mother approves of me being your friend because my family is also wealthy. If she heard that I was also going, that may sway her thoughts on letting you go."

Diamond Tiara looked down, a look of concentration on her face. She did raise a valid point. Being the daughter of a wealthy family, for the longest time Silver Spoon really was her only friend because she was the only one her mother liked. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to pack some extra ammo in case that wasn’t enough to have her mother dance to her tune. Wait a minute, she thought. Tune…? “Apple Bloom, didn’t your sister say that she met Countess Coloratura at Camp Friendship?"

“Uh, yeah,” Apple Bloom confirmed. “They were around the same age when they went…wait." Apple Bloom’s eyes widened once she realized what Diamond was going on. She smiled and said, “If Silver Spoon going isn’t enough…"

“Then maybe the fact that one of Equestria’s most famous singers went there as a filly will help!” Diamond Tiara finished. It was a decent argument to pitch to somepony who prided themselves on how close they got to the rich and famous. High hoofs were exchanged between Apple Bloom, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.

“Welp, I guess that settles that.” Apple Bloom said with a smile. “Just get the permission slips signed and mailed in by next Wednesday. Then, we leave on the following Monday!” Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were excited for the upcoming trip, but Apple Bloom could tell that Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were still a bit nervous. “Hey, don’t worry you two. Remember, you’re not going alone. And who knows; you might actually enjoy it."

“Maybe,” Diamond Tiara said, staring at her bottle of apple juice. “It's just… I’ve never done something like this before. Never even considered that I’d do it."

“Ditto,” said Silver Spoon.

Scootaloo looked at the two uncertain fillies with a smile and said, “You know, Rainbow Dash told me something one time when we were hanging out. She said ‘Scoots, if you never go out of your comfort zone, if you never dare to try something new, then you’ll never really grow’."

She remembered that Rainbow told her when they went out for ice cream after Scootaloo got a high score on a math test. That particular quote came out when Rainbow Dash encouraged Scootaloo to try putting some nuts on her chocolate ice cream. She smiled at the memory. Then she noticed how quiet the conversation had gotten and noticed everypony staring at her, mouths agape. “What?” she asked.

“Rainbow Dash… actually said that?” Sweetie Belle asked, eyebrow raised.

“Um….yes? Why, what’s the matter?” Scootaloo replied.

“Nothin’,” said Apple Bloom. “I just never expected Rainbow Dash, of all ponies, to say something so…deep.” The others murmured in agreement.

“Hehe” Scootaloo chuckled with a slight blush. “Yeah well, you know Rainbow. She’s all kinds of awesome."

Apple Bloom chuckled while rolling her eyes. She then grabbed her bottle of apple juice and raised it. “Well then, here's to the start of an awesome summer with our new friends. Cheers!” Everypony raised their apple juice and clinked their bottles in agreement.

“She actually said she wanted to go?” Applejack asked. It was the Sunday night before Apple Bloom and her friends left for Camp Friendship. Apple Bloom had spent the majority of the afternoon getting her things together. She double checked her list, and made sure that it all could fit in her bag. At the moment, she was eating some of Applejack’s famous apple pie while sitting with her on the front porch. She was telling her how Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon would be joining her friends at camp this week. Needless to say, she was surprised.

“Yeah, she was a bit unsure at first,” Apple Bloom replied. “But I think she really wants to make up for all the trouble she put us through.”

That was one way to see it. But Applejack saw a slightly bigger picture. Rainbow Dash and Rarity met up with Applejack shortly after their sisters finally earned their Cutie Marks. She learned how they helped one of the biggest bullies in Ponyville Elementary realize how she could be a better pony. To Applejack, this was more than an attempt to make up for past mistakes. It was a way of saying “thank you".

“Well, I know ya’ll will have a good time,” Applejack said with a smile as she ruffled her little sister’s mane. “Just make sure that you look out for one another. I know I probably don’t need to tell you that, but still."

Apple Bloom returned a smile to her, sometimes overprotective, sister and finished her slice of pie in silence. After the dishes were washed and put away, she bid goodnight to Applejack and went upstairs to get ready for bed, passing by her older brother Big Mac along the way.

Once Apple Bloom’s bedroom door was shut, Big Mac went into the kitchen to help Applejack clean up. “So, did ya tell her?” Big Mac asked.

Applejack looked at Big Mac, then glanced upstairs and smiled. “No, I want it to be a surprise."

The next day, Apple Bloom found herself on the train with her friends. Before they left, everypony had said goodbye to their families. Apple Bloom had assured Applejack, for the fifth time that day, that she was sure she had everything. Sweetie Belle was in a similar situation, trying to convince her sister Rarity that she didn’t need another hat or second rain poncho. Scootaloo was already at the station with her Aunt Holiday, who had brought a bag of fresh baked cookies for everypony. Diamond Tiara had hugged her father goodbye before boarding the train along with Silver Spoon. It was a bit sad waving goodbye to their loved ones from the train window, but they knew it would only be a week before they would see them again.

“I just can’t believe your mother actually let you come,” Scootaloo said to Diamond Tiara.

“Well, she was still pretty reluctant when she signed the slip. But I think my argument really wore down her first opinion. Especially when I brought up Countess Coloratura,” replied Diamond Tiara.

“Hey, if anypony would know how to convince your mother to do something, it would be you,” said Silver Spoon.

“True, but it was still difficult. Once that pony sets her opinion on something, it’s nearly impossible to convince her otherwise. You might as well be trying to ask Pinkie Pie to go a full day without eating sweets,” said Diamond Tiara.

Apple Bloom leaned her head back on the back rest of the train seat. “Well, I’m just glad that it all worked out. From here on out, it’s nothing but smooth sai—”. A movement from the baggage compartment caught her attention. “HEADS UP!” she yelled, her eyes going wide. Everypony looked up and just managed to avoid the duffel bag that Scootaloo had stowed away earlier.

After making sure everypony was alright, Sweetie Belle turned to Scootaloo. “I told you your bag was too close to the edge! But did you listen to me? Nope, you just tossed it up there and hoped for the best.”

“Ugh, alright alright! I’m sorry. Now could you help me put it back up there? Maybe you can use your magic to make sure it’s secure.” Scootaloo shot back. She then shot a glare at the duffel bag. “Stupid bag,” Scootaloo muttered.

“I can’t, I was barely able to lift my bag up there. I doubt I’ll be able to make it halfway up before I drop it,” Sweetie Belle replied. While she had made some small progress with using her magic, Sweetie Belle found it difficult to lift anything bigger than a broom.

“Hmm, maybe we could try tossing it back up there while you guide it with your magic. It’ll already be in the air, you just have to make sure it lands on the rack just right,” suggested Apple Bloom.

Sweetie Belle thought about that for a moment. That would put a bit less of a strain on her. “Alright, let’s give it a shot."

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo grabbed the duffel bag from both sides while Sweetie Belle sat where she had a good view of the rack. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon stood out of the way, not wanting to be in the way of the shot. Once everypony was ready, Apple Bloom counted down, “Ok, ready? One, two, aaannnddd three!"

As soon as the bag was in the air, Sweetie Belle saw that it was going to just miss the luggage rack. She enveloped the bag in a light green aura and guided it so that it would land right on top of Apple Bloom’s duffel at the front of the load. A few small nudges here and there, and the bag was in a much more secure position than before.

“And she scores!” Scootaloo cried out, exchanging a hoof bump with Apple Bloom. “Thanks for the help Sweetie Belle,” she said, giving her a pat on the back.

“Hehe, nice shot. Never seen somepony put a bag away like that before,” said a familiar voice.

Apple Bloom turned around, ears perked slightly. First her eyes widened in shock, then her smile followed suit. The voice belonged to a filly with a bright brown coat and a bright pink mane cut sharply on the right side of her head. It was none other than Babs Seed, Apple Bloom’s cousin from Manehattan. “Babs!” Apple Bloom said as she ran up to her cousin.

“Wassup cuz’?” Babs replied, embracing her in a hug. “It’s been a long time, how’ve ya been?"

“I’ve been great, yourself?"

“Oh, just swell."

The other Crusaders ran up to greet her. “Oh my gosh, it’s so good to see you again!” Sweetie Belle said, a massive smile etched across her face. Scootaloo nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to Apple Bloom. “Wait, if you’re here, does that mean you’re going to Camp Friendship with us?” she asked. Babs Seed smiled and nodded her head, causing all three of them to start jumping up and down.

The celebration was cut short however, when Babs’ smile suddenly turned to a scowl. Apple Bloom followed her gaze behind her to see Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, both giving shy waves to her. “What are those chumps doin’ here? I’m pretty sure this train doesn’t stop at Canterlot,” said Babs Seed, causing the former bullies to slump back in their seats.

“Um, yeah, about that...” Apple Bloom started. “We’re kinda helping them to turn over a new leaf." Babs gave her a quizzical look, glancing from her to them. Apple Bloom looked back at them with a smile and said, “Come on and have a seat, we’ll tell ya about it. Oh, did you have any bags you wanted to bring over?"

“Nah, they're back in the other car, I just wanted to stretch my legs a bit,” said Babs. She trotted over to where everypony was sitting and found a seat next to Apple Bloom and across from Diamond Tiara.

Apple Bloom recounted the story of how they helped Pipsqueak become class president, how Diamond’s mother took the news that her daughter lost to them, how they helped Diamond Tiara better understand her talents and how she used said talents to secure the funds to rebuild the school playground. And finally, she told about how Apple Bloom and her friends earned their Cutie Marks in the process.

“Aw geez, I nearly forgot!” Babs Seed exclaimed with a face-hoof. “You girls finally earned your Cutie Marks!"

“Eeyup,” said Apple Bloom, emulating her older brother. “It was worth the wait, wasn’t it Crusaders?” she said, turning to show Babs her new Cutie Mark. The others nodded in agreement, also showing their Marks.

“Congrats girls!” Babs Seed said with a smile. “I’m so happy for all of you. I can’t get over that you all actually got them at the same time," She then looked over to Diamond Tiara, her tone shifting to be slightly more serious. “As for you—” Diamond Tiara looked a little worried. “-you really feel bad about all the crud you’ve given to these three? You actually serious on being a better pony?"

Diamond Tiara gulped, then looked Babs straight in the eye and said, “Yes, I feel awful about the way I’ve treated them and the things I said. I want to be a better pony than the one my mother wanted me to become. That’s why I’m going with them to camp, so that I can actually get to know them for who they are."

Babs continued to look at Diamond for a moment, then she looked down in thought. She was silent for the better part of a minute before she blew her hair out of her eyes. Returning her gaze to the former bullies, she smiled. “Well, alright then. If my cousin is willing to give you a chance, then I guess I can too."

Diamond Tiara breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you."

About twenty five minutes later, the train was finally slowing to a stop; they had finally arrived. While most of the other ponies were heading into the nearby town, a couple of Camp Friendship counselors directed the campers towards a few wagons parked around the side. After everypony’s bags were loaded, the campers took a seat on one of the remaining empty wagons. From there, it was just a short trip to the actual campgrounds. Everypony was greeted with the sight of several cabins along a small lake, surrounded by forest with mountains on the horizon. It looked like something out of a postcard.

Everypony was instructed to get into groups of six. Each group would share a cabin, fillies and colts would of course be in separate cabins. The Cutie Mark Crusaders, Babs Seed, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon all looked to each other in silent agreement. After dividing into groups, the counselors told everypony to put their stuff in their cabins and get set up. The campers were not constrained to a schedule for today, though their would be various activities being hosted throughout the camp. Today is meant to give the campers a chance to settle in.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders and company found their cabin easily, Cabin 3. It was a pretty simple setup: six beds, three on each side of the cabin, a few windows and two doors. The cabin itself was actually pretty clean, cleaner than Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon thought it would be.

“Do we really have to wear these uniforms?” Silver Spoon asked, looking at the standard Camp Friendship uniform with apprehension. The green hat and shirt, as well as the red neckerchief, was given to everypony upon arriving at camp.

“Only during dinner and certain events,” replied Apple Bloom, who was unrolling her sleeping bag on one of the beds. “They’re not so bad, at least we don’t need to wear em all day.”

“So, what do you girls wanna do?” asked Sweetie Belle. “I kinda want to explore the camp a bit, find out where everything is."

Scootaloo jumped from her laying position on her sleeping bag and said, “Sure, beats sitting here. Last one out of the cabin is a soggy sandwich!” And with that she dashed to the door, leaped out of the cabin, and landed on somepony passing by.

“Wow, graceful,” Apple Bloom said, deadpan.

Before she could come up with a witty retort, Scootaloo looked down at the colt that she crashed into. He was a pegasus pony with a light gray coat and dark gray mane. It was Rumble, one of her classmates and Thunderlane’s younger brother. “Rumble, is that you? You okay?” she asked.

Rumble looked up, still somewhat dazed. “Uh, yeah I’m fine."

Scootaloo helped him up and said, “Yeah, sorry about that. Didn’t know you were right outside the door."

“It’s okay, I didn’t know you would come flying out of nowhere. Heck, I didn’t even know you were here at Camp Friendship to begin with."

“I could say the same thing about you,” said Scootaloo. Truth be told, she didn’t really know much about Rumble to begin with. He tended to be a quiet colt who sat in the back of the classroom and kept to himself. “You’ve been here before?"

“Yeah, this is my second time here,” he replied.

“Great, then maybe you can show us around,” said Babs Seed.

Scootaloo didn’t even realize that the others were behind her.

“Sure, I don’t see why not...uhh,” Rumble started. “Forgive me but, I don’t think I’ve seen you before."

“Oh, I’m Babs Seed,” she said offering a hoof bump. “I’m Apple Bloom’s cousin."

“Nice to meet you Babs, I’m Rumble,” he replied, accepting it. “Truth is I’ve been looking for a buddy to go with me to this spot with a great view of the camp. I tried getting my cabin-mates to come with me, but they all wanted to go swimming instead. You girls can come with me if you want, it’s a bit of hike though."

Apple Bloom stepped forward and said, “Sure, we were thinking of exploring the place anyway. Lead the way Rumble!" After locating a camp counselor and letting her know where they were heading, the group set off on one of the trails leading into the woods. About ten minutes later, the group arrived at a hilltop with a beautiful view of the forest. They could easily see every building in the campsite from the cabins, to the mess hall, the first aid station, and the arts and crafts building.

“Wow, what a view!” Sweetie Belle said, her eyes sweeping across the landscape. “Rumble, how did you know about this place?"

“Oh, the last time I was here one of the counselors led a hike up the trials here. He had us stop here so he could show us the view,” Rumble replied. “Me and a few of my cabin-mates came up here early the next morning to watch the sunrise. It was awesome."

“Wait, the counselors let you do that?” Silver Spoon asked.

“Um, no actually,” said Rumble, rubbing the back of his head. “We thought if we got up early enough, we could catch the sunrise and be back before anypony knew we were gone. We ended up bumping into one of the counselors while he was getting coffee. We wound up on dishwashing duty that morning. Let me tell you, maple syrup is a pain to scrub off of plates."

Everypony shared a laugh. Most of the group could relate to Rumble as far as doing something that’s against the rules, and then paying for it later. “Sounds like you had a good time here, was it always that good?” asked Scootaloo.

“Well, it had its share of ups and downs. The first couple of days were a bit hard, being away from home for so long, barely knowing anypony here. I got a bit homesick,” said Rumble. “But I kept an open mind, made some new friends, and in the end I wanted to come back again."

The group was so focused on Rumble’s stories that they didn’t notice the sky getting darker. Diamond Tiara was the first to notice the stormclouds rolling in, blocking the sunlight. “Um, guys,” she said, taking a few steps back. “We might want to consider heading back, I don’t like the look of those clouds."

The others looked up after hearing the sound of thunder. The clouds in question were indeed menacing. Large, dark and grey, they moved across the sky like a curtain being drawn. “Yeah, I agree with Diamond here,” said Apple Bloom. She then felt a raindrop hit her, then another, then three more. “We should probably get a move on, like, right now!"

With that, everypony turned to head back down the trail to camp just as the rain started to fall. They thought that if they hurried, they could get back to camp before the weather got worse. But what started as a light shower quickly became a torrential downpour. The rain was coming down in sheets, making it difficult for everypony to see in front of them. They had been running down the trail for barely a few minutes when Rumble suddenly stopped.

“What is it? Why are we stopping?” Silver Spoon asked.

“Um, I’m not sure this is the right way,” Rumble stuttered. “I... I think we may have taken a wrong turn somewhere."

“You mean, we’re lost?"

“Don’t blame me! This rain is so thick, I can barely see anything!"

“Enough, both of you!” Apple Bloom shouted over the storm. “Look, we need to find someplace where we can get out of this rain for a while."

Babs Seed was looking off to her right, squinting to try to see through the rain when she saw something just off the trail. “Hey, I think I see an old cabin or shack."

“I’ll take it, anything beats sitting out here!” shouted Diamond Tiara.

“This way!” yelled Babs, motioning everypony to follow her. They all galloped towards the structure in question.

When they got there, everypony took a minute to catch their breath and shake themselves dry. Fortunately, the roof was relatively intact save for a few leaks. The shack itself was pretty empty. There were some crates scattered around, but not much else.

“Ok, we can just sit tight here till’ the storm lets up,” said Apple Bloom.

“Why did nopony tell us that their was a colossal rainstorm scheduled for the middle of the afternoon?” asked Sweetie Belle.

“Their might not have been one scheduled,” said Rumble. “The nearest weather station is actually quite a ways away, so some rogue weather floats by here every now and again. Normally the local weather ponies get it under control, but I’ve never seen this big of a storm before.” Rumble set himself down on the floor, looking out through the open doorway. “We might as well make ourselves comfortable; we’re probably going to be here awhile.”

“Well, it could be worse,” Scootaloo said. “At least we found somewhere we can stay dry.” Since she had nothing better to do, she decided to look around the abandoned shack. She checked the crates to see if they had anything inside but found only dust and mold. “Who built this place anyway? And, why out here? I mean, there doesn’t seem to be much he—” Her thoughts were interrupted when she stepped on a loose plank, which sent her stumbling into an open crate.

Apple Bloom held a hoof over her mouth, trying to stifle a giggle. “You okay Scoots? That’s the second time today. Maybe ya shoulda packed your helmet."

“Hahaha, you're such a comedian,” Scootaloo replied, crawling out of the crate while rubbing her head. She looked to where she tripped, searching for the object that made a mockery of her dignity. She found the groove in the floor where she tripped and was about to move a crate on it so that nopony else would make a fool of themselves. Before she could do that however, she noticed that several planks seemed to be slightly unaligned with the rest of the floor. I swear, if I ever meet the loser who built this place, I'm gonna..., she thought. Wait, is that a hinge?

Upon closer inspection, there was indeed a rusted hinge in the floor. That’s when she realized that the planks were misaligned for a reason. It was a hatch! After feeling around for the edge of it, she lifted the hatch open to reveal a staircase leading underground. “Hey guys, check this out."

Everypony gathered to see the secret passage Scootaloo had discovered. “Huh,” said Babs. “There's something you don't see everyday. What do you think’s down there?"

“Only one way to find out,” said Scootaloo, who started down the dark stairway.

“Wait!” said Sweetie Belle. “We don’t know what’s down there. Do you really think this is a good idea?"

“Okay, first of all, did we not just cover that?” Scootaloo asked. “Second of all, knowing our track record, no this probably isn’t a good idea. But do we have anything better to do?"

Sweetie Belle tried to come up with a response, but given the circumstances of the situation they were in now, she realized that Scootaloo did have a bit of a point. With a sigh and a shake of her head, she followed Scootaloo down the steps. The others soon followed suit. The stairs took them down to a short tunnel, which led them to a steel door. Scootaloo tried to push open the door, but only succeeded in getting it open slightly, getting a glimpse of the dark room beyond it. The hinges were rusty and made it difficult for the door to move. “Hey Apple Bloom, Babs, can you give me a hoof here?” asked Scootaloo.

The two earth ponies moved to the door and took a position next to Scootaloo. “Okay, on three!” Scootaloo said. Apple Bloom and Babs Seed nodded in confirmation. “One, two, three!” she said, pushing with a grunt. A few moments was all it took for the three fillies to push open the screeching door just enough for them to fit through. Sweetie Belle lit her horn to give the room a bit more light. The room was a mess of papers, books, and strange machines. In the dim light of Sweetie’s horn, Babs spotted a machine she did recognize: a generator.

Babs trotted over to the generator, hoping that this place would have some lights. She grabbed the start cord with her teeth and gave it a couple of strong yanks. The generator sputtered to life, and a few lights flickered on to reveal the room in its entirety. A few of the small rectangular machines lit up with several small blinking lights. These boxes had cables connecting them to a large computer at one end of the room, which began displaying lines of code. She also noticed that there was some sort of projector or camera above the computer.

To Sweetie Belle, the place reminded her of Twilight’s old basement at the Golden Oaks Library. There were a few book shelves, some machines that were probably used to conduct research, and there were papers scattered around the place. Some looked like they contained research notes of some kind. But a few were sketches of weird creatures. She picked one up that looked like some kind of dinosaur. Kinda reminds me of the concept art to some of Button Mash’s games, she thought.

Scootaloo was looking at the large computer screen, trying to read the codes being displayed. After staring at it for a couple of minutes, she determined that it was gibberish and moved on. She saw a display case off to the right, not far from the computer. She trotted up to it and blew the dust off. Inside, she saw some weird looking devices. Each one was about the size of her hoof. They were square-shaped, but the corners were rounded in. They all had a small screen surrounded by a circle of symbols that she didn’t recognize. They also had three buttons, two on the right side of the screen and one on the left. All seven of the devices were different colors.

“Hey guys, check these things out,” Scootaloo said. The others looked to where Scootaloo was and trotted over. They all peered inside the dusty display case, looking at the weird gadgets. “What do you think these are, some kind of watch?"

“I’ve never seen watches like these before. Maybe these are prototypes,” offered Silver Spoon.

“Who would design watches in the middle of the forest? And in a secret lab under a shack?” asked Apple Bloom.

“That also doesn’t explain the sketches I’ve found around here,” said Sweetie Belle. “They look like creatures out of a video game or something.”

“Well, maybe one of the engineers had a hobby,” suggested Silver Spoon.

“But this place looks like it hasn’t been used in years,” said Babs Seed. “If these are some prototypes to a new watch or something, why would they leave them here?”

Scootaloo began to open the top of the display case.

“Hey! What are you doing?” said Rumble.

Scootaloo looked back at Rumble, “I just wanna take a closer look, I’ll be careful.” Scootaloo unlatched the top panel of the case, which also allowed the front to open. For something that had been sitting there for Celestia knows how long, those things were in pretty good shape. She reached to grab the one that was crimson with black buttons. Just as she was about to pick it up, the device suddenly lit up and started floating. Scootaloo quickly pulled her hoof back, eyes wide. She began to back away from the device as a black strap seemed to materialize from its side. Before she got too far however, it shot towards her, and strapped itself to her left foreleg. “AHH, WHAT THE HECK?” Scootaloo screamed.

Before anypony could make sure that Scootaloo was okay, they saw the rest of the devices levitate out of the display case and fly towards them. Everypony watched with wide eyes as the devices strapped themselves to their left forelegs. “Aiieee!” Sweetie Belle screamed, waving her foreleg as if the device were a bug. “Get it off, get it off, get it off, GET IT OFF!” Before she could continue her freakout, a yellow hoof found its way in her mouth.

“Sweetie Belle!” Apple Bloom shouted. “Calm down, okay? Just take a few deep breaths.” Sweetie Belle followed her friend’s advice and took a moment to collect herself. “You good?”

“Mmhmm” Sweetie Belle mumbled through Apple Bloom’s hoof. After ensuring her friend was done, Apple Bloom removed her hoof from Sweetie’s mouth.

“Is anypony hurt?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Yes,” Diamond Tiara replied. “My ears, my poor ears.” She looked around to see everypony else also recovering from Sweetie Belle’s weapon-grade shrieks. “Other than that, I’m fine.” She looked back to the display case to see a small crack on the surface. Was that there before? she thought to herself. She remembered that the display case was empty and that, for whatever reason, the contents had flown out and attached themselves onto her and her friends. She checked her left foreleg to find one of the devices, this one red with white buttons.

“Yeah, it just startled me a bit,” Scootaloo replied. “But seriously, what the heck was that about?"

“I don’t know, but I don’t think we should touch anything else! Got it Scoots?” said Babs Seed.

Before Sweetie Belle could offer any input, she saw something out of the corner of her eye that made her a bit concerned. “Uh, guys?"

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Scootaloo asked Babs. “I hardly touched the darn thing! Besides, I wasn't exactly expecting it to fly right out and strap itself to me,” she said, shaking her left foreleg for emphasis.

Rumble saw Sweetie Belle and was about to ask if she was okay. That’s when he saw the cause of concern. “Um, guys?"

“Alright look,” Apple Bloom said, getting between Babs Seed and Scootaloo. “I think that we can agree that although MAYBE, she shouldn't have made to grab these things, Scootaloo didn’t intend for this to happen."

Now Silver Spoon had joined Rumble and Sweetie Belle in staring at the concerning phenomenon. “Guys?” she said, raising her voice a little.

“I was kidding!” said Babs Seed, oblivious to Silver Spoon. “I don’t think any of us saw that coming.”

Scootaloo replied with a simple eye roll.

“Look, girls,” Diamond Tiara butted in. “I think we’re getting a bit off track. How about we get out of here first before something else happens?"

“GUYS!” Silver Spoon, Sweetie Belle, and Rumble yelled.

“WHAT?” Diamond Tiara, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Babs yelled back.

“The machine’s acting weird,” Sweetie Belle said, her voice quivering.

Diamond Tiara glanced down at the device on her foreleg, then looked up and said, “Define weird."

Everypony looked at the computer to see it displaying line after line of obscure code at a faster rate. As the computer kept displaying more and more code, the devices began pulsing in reaction to it. “Oh...yeah that’s pretty weird," Diamond Tiara said.

The monitor shifted to a display of the group’s worried faces staring back at them. “Uhh...maybe we should go,” said Babs. The computer suddenly began targeting the strange devices on the group. Babs looked up and saw the weird projector light up. Everypony slowly started to back up.

Apple Bloom glanced at the now pulsing device on her foreleg, then back to the screen. “Get. To the door. Now!” she whispered out of the corner of her mouth. And with that everypony made a dash for the exit. They had barely made it a few feet before the projector shined a blue light that encompassed the whole room, and froze everypony in place. “What’s goin on? I can't move!” The only part of her body that she was able to move was her head. It was thanks to this that she was able to confirm that everypony was in the same boat.

“Guys, I feel funny!” Silver Spoon shouted from behind. Apple Bloom looked back and saw something that made her eyes go wide with horror. Silver Spoon was disappearing! It looked like the projector was quickly turning her into small blue squares, which quickly got sucked into the projector. It took only a few moments for Silver Spoon to completely vanish.

“Silver Spoon!” yelled Diamond Tiara. Soon, she felt the effect take hold on her. She struggled to escape the invisible grip she found herself in, but it was in vain. All she could do was look at the group with pleading eyes before she vanished.

Rumble soon followed suit, then Babs Seed.

Apple Bloom tried harder than ever to get out, but she couldn't move an inch. “Apple Bloom!” she heard behind her. She looked back to see Scootaloo slowly disappearing. Despite this, she kept a brave face on. “Listen to me! We're going to be okay, do you understand?"

“How do you know?” Sweetie Belle asked, tears in her eyes. “How do you know the others are still—"

“I just know!” shouted Scootaloo. “Just trust me!" The others could only nod. Scootaloo smiled and gave one last nod before disappearing. She had put on a brave face, but Apple Bloom could see how scared she was.

Apple Bloom turned to Sweetie Belle, who was trying her best not to break down into tears. She looked her in the eye and smiled. “Well, ya heard her. We're gonna be okay, okay?"

Sweetie Belle gave a light chuckle, and returned the smile. Before she completely disappeared, she said, “Cutie Mark Crusaders Forever!"

And with that, Apple Bloom was alone in the room. She didn't need to look back to know that whatever took her friends was working its magic on her. She felt a prickly sensation in her tail, and it was slowly spreading up her body. She took deep breaths, trying to reassure herself. Scootaloo’s right. The others are fine, they’ve gotta be! Let's face it, we’ve gotten into some sticky situations before and we’ve always come out with just some pine needles and tree sap. This one won't be any different... She felt the prickly sensation had reached her neck. I hope. A few seconds later, everything went black.

As Scootaloo drifted back into consciousness, the first thing she heard was the sound of waves. The sound of waves gently lapping against the shore, the smell of sea water and the feeling of warm sand beneath her. All of these sensations tempted her to stay where she was for just a few more minutes, then the realization hit her. How did I end up at a beach? Scootaloo slowly managed to open her eyes to confirm what the rest of her senses told her, she was at a beach. The rest of her body ached, as if she just woke up from running a couple of miles.

As she managed to sit up, she heard a voice say “Oh hey, you're awake!"

“Huh?” Scootaloo’s ears perked, trying to locate the source of the voice. It sounded like it belonged to a young colt, but it didn't quite sound like Rumble. “H-Hello? Who's there?"

“I’m right here,” the voice said. Scootaloo looked down to her left to see a small red creature with a small, black-tipped tail, a white belly, orange eyes, four stubby legs and what looked like small wings on its back. “Are you okay? You don't look so good."

Scootaloo stared at the creature for a few moments before she responded. “AAAAAAHHHH!” she screamed.

Chapter 2: Welcome to the Jungle

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Scootaloo scurried back in an effort to get some distance between her and the small creature. Which was difficult given that she was digging her hooves into sand. “Wha-what are you?” Scootaloo said, fumbling with her words. “And did...did you just talk?”

The small creature stared at her. “Um, yes?” it replied. “What’s so weird about that? You're talking too.”

Scootaloo didn’t respond to him. Instead she closed her eyes, put her hooves on her head and tried to keep herself from panicking. “This can’t be real, this has to be a dream!” she told herself. “Yeah, that’s right Scootaloo. You are not lost at some beach. And you are certainly NOT alone with some weird small monster!”

The monster in question cocked it’s head slightly to the side. Me, weird? it thought.

“Now, just count to three, and you’ll wake up,” Scootaloo continued in her attempt to not freak out. “One, two, three!” She opened her eyes to see the surroundings had not changed, that she could still feel the sand beneath her, still smell the seawater. And of course, she could still see the small red monster slowly making it’s way towards her, a look of concern in its eyes. Ok, I’m not dreaming, she thought. The meaning behind that slowly began to dawn on her.

She looked down to her left foreleg and saw that the strange red and black gadget which started this whole thing was still there. Her eyes went wide as her thoughts began to go a mile a minute. Oh Celestia, I'm not dreaming! If that's true, then where's Apple Bloom and the others? Did they make it here too? Are they alright? Where did they end up? Heck, where did I end up! Her train of thought was interrupted when she felt something brush against her leg.

She looked down to see the small red creature looking up at her. “It’s okay, I’m not gonna hurt you,” it said as it looked up. “Don’t be scared.”

Realizing that the creature wasn't going to attack her, Scootaloo took a few deep breaths. Soon she got her breathing, as well as her thoughts, under control. She looked back down at the creature, giving it a small smile. “I’m okay now, thanks little guy,” she said.

The creature smiled back and nuzzled her leg. “You're welcome,” it said. “My name’s Gigimon, what’s yours?”

“Scootaloo,” she replied.

Gigimon tilted his head to the side. “Scootaloo...mon?” he asked.

Scootaloo raised an eyebrow. “Wait, what? No, just Scootaloo.”

Gigimon continued to stare at her. “Are you sure?”

“...Yeah, I’m pretty sure.”

“...That’s a weird name.”

Scootaloo shook her head and gave a light chuckle. “Whatever.”

Now that she had a chance to calm down, Scootaloo was able to get a better look at her surroundings. Aside from the beach, which stretched on for quite a bit, there was a large jungle behind her. “Um, Gigimon? Where am I exactly?”

“Uhh, the beach,” Gigimon stated.

Scootaloo face hoofed at this. “Ugh, I meant where in the world am I?”

“Oh, well this is File Island,” Gigimon said.

“File Island?” Scootaloo asked. “Where in Equestria is that?”

“Equestria?” Gigimon asked. “I’ve heard that there are a lot of other lands out in the Digital World, but I’ve never heard of that place.”

Scootaloo’s eyes went wide. “Wait, Digital World!” She shouted. That thing sent us to a whole other world? She shook her head. This was getting weirder and weirder. “Gigimon, did you happen to see anyone else like me?” she asked.

“Hmm...” Gigimon thought. “Nope, I was just looking for something to eat when I saw you taking a nap in the sand.”

Scootaloo looked to the jungle in thought. Hopefully they're close by, she prayed. “Listen Gigimon, do you think you can help me find my friends? If they're not here, then they might be somewhere in the jungle.”

Gigimon’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Sure, if your friends are as awesome a Digimon as you, I wanna meet em.”

Scootaloo leaned her head back slightly, “Wait, Digimon? What’s a Digimon?”

Now it was Gigimon’s turn to look confused. “Uhh, I’m a Digimon. Aren't you a Digimon?”

“Uh, no. I’m a pony.”

“A Pony-mon?”

“What? No.”

“A Digi-pony?”

“No! I'm just a pony,” Scootaloo said, her patience running thin.

“Oohhhhh….Yeah, I don’t get it.”

Scootaloo rolled her eyes and let out a sigh of exasperation. “Let’s just go. C'mon Gigimon,” And with that, Scootaloo ventured into the jungle, with a happy Gigimon bouncing beside her.

As Diamond Tiara slowly came too, the first thing she noticed was how warm it was. It was incredibly warm and humid, almost like she was in a sauna. She slowly opened her eyes to be greeted to the sight of sunlight being filtered through tall, dense trees. It must have finally stopped raining, that's why it's so humid, she thought to herself. Wait, I don’t remember the trees at camp being so...big. Then she remembered the events before she woke up. The secret lab, the weird gadgets, the projector freezing everypony in place, Silver Spoon being…

Diamond Tiara’s eyes went wide. “Silver Spoon!”

She quickly sat up and took stock of her surroundings. She was surrounded by dense foliage, thick trees and a few large flowers. It might have been beautiful, if it wasn't so unfamiliar. “Hello? Is anypony out there?” she shouted. “Silver Spoon! Are you here? If you're out there say something!”

Suddenly she heard a loud roar which had her hair standing on end. Instinctively, she ran the opposite direction, and into the foliage. Diamond Tiara took cover behind a patch of large leaves, peering through the brush to make sure she was safe. What was that? A timberwolf? A hydra? she thought. She kept her eyes trained on the outside while slowly backing up into the safety of the foliage. So focused she was on what may be coming from the front that she was unaware of what may be behind her, until she bumped right into it. Yelping in surprise, she spun around to find herself face to face with an equally startled…

“Apple Bloom?” Diamond Tiara said.

“Diamond Tiara!” Apple Bloom exclaimed, relieved that she bumped into a familiar face. They embraced each other in a quick hug. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Diamond Tiara replied. “But there's something out there, did you hear it?”

“Hard not to,” Apple Bloom replied, shaking a little. “It sounded like it was quite a ways away though, so hopefully it stays over there.”

“Still, the farther away I am from it, the safer I'll feel.”

“Can't argue with that, let's get movin,” Apple Bloom motioned for Diamond Tiara to follow. After a minute of trotting through the jungle in silence, Apple Bloom asked, “Did ya happen to see anypony else out there?”

“No, I woke up a few minutes ago,” said Diamond Tiara. “You're the first pony I bumped into.”

“Well, you were the second one that got sucked in by that machine, and I was last. So the others have gotta be here too,” Apple Bloom reasoned.

“Yeah, about that…” Diamond Tiara started. “Do you have any idea what that was about? I mean, that thing seemed to focus on these doohickeys,” referring to the red and white device on her foreleg.

Apple Bloom stopped and looked down at her device, which was tan with blue buttons. “I don't know,” she sighed. “Look, we can worry about that later. Right now we have to focus on findin’ our friends. Just keep your eyes peeled and let me know if you see any—” she suddenly stopped, her eyes focused on something to her left. “Back! Get back!” she whispered.

Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara quickly ducked behind a tree. “What, what is it?” Diamond Tiara whispered. Apple Bloom motioned for her to look around the corner. They looked to see a small, round cream-colored creature trying to get fruit off of a branch. The creature didn't seem to have any feet and had two large ears that looked like small wings. The creature continued jumping up and down, trying to reach the fruit, but to no avail. Apple Bloom looked at the creature with pity and slowly began to step out from behind the tree.

“What are you doing?” whispered Diamond Tiara. “We don't know what that thing is. It could be dangerous.”

“But, look at the little guy,” said Apple Bloom. “He doesn't seem that bad.” With that, she trotted towards the small creature, who looked on the verge of giving up. The creature, having heard her approach, quickly turned to see Apple Bloom looking at him with a small smile. “Hey there lil’ fella,” she said. “Ya need some help?”

Apple Bloom looked up at the fruit dangling from the branches, which she could see were mangoes. She remembered trying one once, when Applejack brought one home from the market. But that felt like years ago. Putting aside her trip down memory lane, she focused on the just out-of-reach fruit. The fruit itself looked ripe and ready to eat, but it was well secured in its branches.

Fortunately, if there was anything that Apple Bloom learned from her big sister, it was how to get fruit out of a tree. Taking position at the base of the tree trunk, she put her weight on her forelegs, raised both hindlegs and gave the tree a good solid kick. She stepped back and watched as a few of the mangoes fell out of the tree. She nudged one of them towards the small creature. “Here ya go little guy,” she said with a smile.

The creature looked down at the mango then back up at Apple Bloom. He then smiled and said, “Thank you so much. I thought I'd never get those things down.”

Apple Bloom stared back, eyes wide. “Uh...you're welcome,” she said. While the creature munched on the tropical fruit, Apple Bloom looked back to Diamond Tiara, who was still behind the tree and bearing a similar expression of shock. Apple Bloom pointed to the creature, silently conveying "You saw that too, right?", to which Diamond Tiara nodded her head.

“Hey,” said the creature, getting Apple Bloom’s attention. “You want some too? You did help me get them after all," Apple Bloom was about to decline, but a quiet grumble from her stomach betrayed her. She sat down, picked up one of the mangoes and took a bite. She paused as the juices hit her taste buds.

It was delicious! It was very juicy, sweet and firm. This was the perfect time to pick them. After taking a moment to savor the flavor, she dove in for another bite. “Diamond Tiara, come on out. You gotta try this!” she said after swallowing. Seeing how the strange creature wasn't attacking Apple Bloom, Diamond Tiara slowly came out from behind the tree. She sat down near Apple Bloom, who hoofed her a mango. After seeing how much Apple Bloom and the small creature were enjoying the tropical fruit, she took a small bite and was taken aback by the flavor. It tasted like something straight out of a smoothie. She smiled and took another bite.

After snacking on the fruit for a bit, the cream-colored creature spoke up. “Hey uh, I don't think I caught your names yet. My name’s Upamon, what’re yours?” he asked.

Apple Bloom stopped herself from taking another bite of mango to answer him. “Oh uh, I'm Apple Bloom. And this is Diamond Tiara.”

Diamond Tiara, who had just finished her mango, looked up at Upamon. “Um...hi,” she said while giving a weak wave.

“Nice ta meet ya,” Upamon said. Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara looked at each other. They needed some answers.

“Excuse me uh, Upamon was it?” Apple Bloom asked, to which Upamon nodded. “Where are we?”

“File Island,” Upamon said.

Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow at that, but before she could ask more about their location, Diamond Tiara asked, “And what exactly are you, if you don't mind me asking?”

Upamon chuckled, “I’m a Digimon, of course.”

“A Digimon? What's a Digimon?” asked Apple Bloom.

“What’s a Digimon?” Upamon chuckled. “You’re joking right? Right?” He noticed Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara’s faces hadn't changed. “You're uh… not from around here are you?” he said in a more serious tone.

“Wow, you're quick,” Diamond Tiara said with sarcasm. Apple Bloom shot her a glare.

“Gee, I'm awful sorry girls,” Upamon apologized. “I didn't know, I just thought—”.

“It's alright," Apple Bloom interrupted. “But maybe now you can answer our questions, maybe you can help us out here.”

“Right,” Upamon shot back up. “Well to answer your question, we Digimon are the ones who call the Digital World our home.”

“Digital...World?” Apple Bloom asked.

“You mean to tell me we're in a whole other world!” Diamond Tiara exclaimed, panic starting to leech into her voice.

Before he could ask them any questions of his own, Upamon’s ears perked up. “Uh oh. Um, listen girls. Maybe we should continue this someplace else. Like, anywhere else!”

“Why, what’s buggin you?” Apple Bloom asked. She heard something coming from the trees. Her ears were erect, trying to locate the sound. It sounded like a rapidly beating set of wings. As it began to get louder, Apple Bloom wondered Is that...insect wings? She turned around just in time to see a giant monster that resembled a praying mantis burst through the trees. “What is that thing!” Apple Bloom screamed, eyes wide.

“It’s Snimon! Run!” yelled Upamon. The two earth ponies took the advice and galloped after Upamon, screaming as the giant green praying mantis flew after them.

Diamond Tiara chanced a look back and immediately wished she hadn't. She could see Snimon quickly closing the distance between them. She also noticed the large metal sickles on the end of it's arms glow purple. Before she could ask what that meant, Snimon swung his arms forward yelling “TWIN SICKLES!” Two crescents of pink energy flew over their heads, destroying the ground in front of them. The group turned right, going further into the dense jungle in attempt to lose him.

“What’s his problem?” Diamond Tiara yelled. “What did we do that got him so mad?”

“Nothing!” Upamon yelled back. “He’s probably just hungry!” They all heard Snimon roar somewhere further behind them. “Keep moving, I think I know somewhere we can hide!” Upamon continued hopping further into the jungle, with Diamond Tiara and Apple Bloom close behind him. Within a few moments Upamon stopped in front of a large tree, Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara were only a few paces behind. “Quick, in here!” Before they could ask where ‘here’ was, Upamon jumped into the tree, passing right through the trunk.

Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara skidded to a stop and stared at where Upamon was a moment ago. “Did he really just…?” Apple Bloom started, but was interrupted by a distant sound of buzzing wings. Apple Bloom and Diamond looked at each other for a moment before jumping into the tree themselves.

The inside of the tree was hollow, and appeared to have some kind of metallic surface. Before they could ask any questions, Upamon whispered, “Get down, stay quiet!” Both fillies quickly got down and put their hooves over their heads, praying that Snimon wouldn't find them. They could hear the steady beating of the Digimon’s wings getting closer and closer. Diamond Tiara began to shake with fear, eyes closed and ears plastered against her head. She snuck a peak towards Apple Bloom and Upamon to see they were both in a similar state. The constant buzzing was getting louder, That thing is going to find us! We're dead, we are so dead! she thought as she squeezed her eyes shut.

Several tense moments passed before the sound began to grow faint. Everyone stayed absolutely still for a whole minute until they dared to open their eyes; Snimon had left. Everyone in the tree let out a collective sigh of relief. “Thank goodness,” Diamond Tiara said, trying to slow her rapidly beating heart. “For a moment there, I thought we were bug food.”

Apple Bloom could only nod in agreement as she tried to catch her breath. After a few moments of silence, she looked to Upamon. “Thanks Upamon, ya really saved our necks back there.”

Upamon looked to Apple Bloom with a smile. “Hey, no problem Apple Bloom.”

Apple Bloom returned the smile. But before she could ask why he helped them, she heard movement outside. “Somethin’ else is comin’, stay quiet,” she whispered. Everyone went still, only taking shallow breaths as they listened. Sure enough, they heard the sound of footsteps just outside the tree, followed by voices.

“Are you sure it came from this way?” said a high-pitched male voice.

“Yeah, I'm pretty sure,” a slightly raspy female voice responded.

Apple Bloom stepped closer to the edge of the tree, pressing her ear close to the metallic surface. Wait, is that…?

“Keep your eyes peeled, okay?” she continued. “It sounded like they were in trouble. I just hope they're alright.”

“Scootaloo?” Apple Bloom asked. “Scoots, is that you?”

“Apple Bloom? Where are you?”

Apple Bloom stepped out of the tree to see Scootaloo looking in the opposite direction. “Scootaloo!” she yelled, taking Scootaloo by surprise as she galloped towards her. Scootaloo quickly recovered from the shock upon seeing her friend safe, and caught her in a hug.

“Apple Bloom! Thank Celestia you're okay,” said Scootaloo. “I was looking for you guys when I heard screaming. I came as quick as I could. What were you—”.

She glanced behind Apple Bloom in time to see Diamond Tiara trot out of the tree. “Diamond Tiara, glad too see you’re alright too. Wait, hold on a minute,” she said as she let go of Apple Bloom. “Did...did you really just come out of a tree?”

“Um...yes?” Diamond Tiara said.

Scootaloo stared at her. Before she could ask them how that was even remotely possible, Upamon hopped out of the tree and made his way towards the group. “Who’s this?” she asked.

Apple Bloom looked back at Upamon. “Oh, this is Upamon,” she said. “We bumped into him while he was trying to get some fruit. He saved us from some big monster called Snimon by leading us to this tree.”

“Hiya.” Upamon said.

“Anyway, what happened to you?” Apple Bloom asked.

“I woke up on a beach a few minutes ago. That’s where I met Gigimon over here.” Scootaloo said, gesturing to the small red Digimon beside her. “Gigimon, these are my friends Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara.”

“Hi there.” Gigimon said as he waddled towards them.

“Great, so now that introductions are out of the way, does anypony have any idea where we can find the others?” Scootaloo said.

“Wait, others?” Upamon asked. “How many of you are there?”

“Hopefully, seven," said Apple Bloom. “Besides us three there’s Babs Seed, Silver Spoon, Rumble, and—”

As if on cue, an ear-splitting scream came from somewhere in the jungle, interrupting Apple Bloom. “Wow," said Upamon. “Someone’s got a nice set of lungs." Gigimon nodded in agreement.

Apple Bloom, Diamond Tiara, and Scootaloo looked at each other with wide eyes. They all had a pretty good idea of who that was. “SWEETIE BELLE!”

Alright, I know I have to be dreaming because I swear I’ve had this nightmare before! Sweetie Belle thought. At the moment, she was being chased by what she could only describe as ferocious clumps of vegetation. After waking up a few moments ago, she had spotted a couple of large colorful flowers. After trying to get a closer look at them, she had found that they were on top of two monsters with thin red eyes, sharp teeth, and two vines for arms. The only major difference between the two, as far as she could tell, was that one was slightly bigger than the other. They had tried to grab her, but she managed to get a decent heads start before they began to pursue her.

Trying her best to not look back, Sweetie Belle galloped deeper into the jungle. Despite making a few sharp turns and moving in a sporadic path in an effort to throw off her pursuers, she could still hear them behind her. She glanced behind her to try and gauge how close they were, but she couldn't see them. Unfortunately, she chose the wrong time to ignore her instincts as she tripped on a large root and landed face first into the dirt.

She propped herself up on a foreleg and tried to catch her breath. The sound of rustling leaves reminded her of the things chasing her. Sweetie Belle rolled onto her back and tried shuffling away from the noise as it grew closer. Paralyzed by fear and exhaustion, Sweetie Belle could only try to assure herself, “This isn't real, it's just a dream."

As the rustling got ever closer, she kept repeating this mantra. “This isn't real, it's just a dream. This isn't real, it's just a dream. This isn't real, it's just a—”.

All of a sudden, she felt several vines wrap around her. She could only let out a short gasp as she was pulled into a patch of thick vegetation. Before she could let out a scream, a leafy hand covered her mouth.

“Shh. Stay still or they'll hear you,” a female voice whispered.

She was about to squirm in protest when she heard a voice shout, “Come on, it went this way!” Realizing the alternative, Sweetie Belle did as she was told and stopped moving. The two monsters that were chasing her bounced into view a few moments later. Sweetie Belle watched as they looked around in confusion.

“Well, where did it go uber-tracker?” the bigger one asked with a hint of sarcasm.

“I don’t know,” the other replied. “But I know it came this way. I'm certain of it."

“Oh sure, sure. Just like you were so ‘certain’ that you were hot on the trail of that Upamon we were after the other day."

“Oh for the love of…” the other one started, before turning to the bigger one in anger. “Look, I don't know how he gave us the slip, but I was certain he was heading towards the beach treeline."

“Yeah? Well I'm certain that we went hungry that day, because we spent hours looking for that little runt."

“Hey, do you wanna keep yappin’, or do you wanna help me look for… whatever that white thing was?”

“I want to eat!” the bigger one shouted. “But it’s pretty hard to get a decent meal when ‘someone’ isn’t patient enough to let prey get close enough to grab it."

“Oh, well maybe that wouldn't be a problem if said prey didn't run away whenever they come within seven feet of your ugly face!” the other one retaliated.

“You know what? Forget it. I’m not gonna have this argument again,” the big one said before turning in the direction they came in.

“Hey! What are you doing?”

“What I should have done days ago, ditch the dead weight.”

“Oh, look who's talkin’. You know what? Fine, go!” the other one shouted. “Good luck trying to catch food if it doesn't sit still for more than ten seconds."

“Yeah, well good luck trying to keep prey in your sight for more than ten seconds,” the bigger one retaliated, before bouncing away. The other one shook a vine towards him before storming off in the opposite direction.

After a few more tense seconds of silence, Sweetie Belle felt the grip of her captor/rescuer loosen enough so that she could get free. She bolted from the patch of vegetation they were hiding in and managed to get a few feet away before collapsing from exhaustion again. She turned around to see a small figure emerge from the vegetation. Still shaken by the whole ordeal, Sweetie Belle tried to keep her distance from it.

“Hey there, take it easy,” it spoke with a female voice. “They're gone, you're safe now." She tried to take a few steps closer to Sweetie Belle, which only caused Sweetie Belle to scurry further back.

“Stay back!” Sweetie Belle shouted. “Don't come any closer."

The creature saw her foreleg shaking, heard the quiver in her voice. She was terrified. “Alright, okay,” the creature gently relented. “I'm not moving, not gonna hurt you."

As the creature stood where it was, Sweetie Belle was able to get a better look at it. Much like the monsters from before, this one looked like it was made of the surrounding vegetation. Unlike the ones from before though, this one had two small legs, and two small leaf-like arms, each with three purple fingers. It had small dark green eyes, and a large pink flower atop its head. She also noticed the creature was about as big as her.

For a few minutes, they looked at each other until Sweetie Belle broke the silence. “Who...who are you? And why did you help me?” she asked.

“I'm Palmon,” the creature replied. “And I helped you because, well…you were in trouble and looked like you needed help. Those Vegiemon would've made a meal out of you if I didn't do something."

Sweetie Belle stared at Palmon, reflecting on everything that happened to her in the last ten minutes. Those things were actually gonna…eat me? she thought. She closed her eyes and shook her head to rid herself of those thoughts. It was then that another more terrifying realization took their place. “I'm not dreaming, am I?”

“Uhh...no, this isn’t a dream.” Palmon said.

Sweetie Belle’s pupils shrunk to pinpricks. “Wait, then where am I? What’s going on? Where are my friends?” She gasped as she remembered what almost happened to her a few moments ago. “Apple Bloom! Scootaloo! Where are you?” she shouted. “Oh no. What if something happened to them? What if one of those things got to them? What if they're not here? What do I do!”

Palmon’s concern grew as Sweetie Belle went from pacing around the clearing, to hyperventilating. “Whoa there, slow down," she said as she got up. “Take a deep breath, try to calm down."

Amidst Sweetie Belle’s maelstrom of thoughts, Palmon’s words somehow made themselves known. She tried to take a few deep breaths while moving back and forth.

“Yeah, there you go,” Palmon said. “Just focus on your breathing."

Sweetie Belle thought back to the moments where she saw Rarity like this. Moments where she was falling behind on an order, or there was an overwhelming amount of work to do. She would use a breathing technique similar to what Twilight used, or so she had been told. Closing her eyes, Sweetie Belle sat down on the grass and put a hoof to her chest. She took a breath and then exhaled, lowering her hoof to the ground as she did. She brought it back up to her chest as she inhaled, and brought it back down as she slowly exhaled.

After repeating this exercise a few times, she was able to breath a bit easier. Sweetie Belle opened her eyes to see Palmon had gotten closer to her.

“Better now?” Palmon asked.

Sweetie Belle used a foreleg to wipe some stray tears away. “A little," she sniffled.

Palmon nodded and gave a small smile. “That's good." Seeing that she had calmed down a bit, Palmon tried to continue the conversation. “So, do you have a name?”

Sweetie Belle nodded. “I'm Sweetie Belle." She realized that Palmon really was concerned for her. This creature didn’t have to save her, but she did. “Um...I'm sorry for pushing you back like that. Thanks for saving me back there."

Palmon giggled. “It's okay, I probably would have reacted a similar way if I was in your place."

Sweetie Belle gave a brief smile before turning her thoughts back to her friends. “Hey Palmon, did you see anyone else like me around here?”

“Hmm…”, Palmon tilted her head in thought. “No, I don't think so."

Hearing this, Sweetie Belle started to worry again. Are the others alright? Am I the only one here? The thought started to bring tears to her eyes again. She shook her head clear. No. They're here somewhere. They've gotta be.

“Well then, I guess have to go find them,” Sweetie Belle said as she started off into the jungle.

“Huh, find who?” Palmon asked, causing Sweetie Belle to stop.

“My friends,” Sweetie Belle replied. “We somehow got separated when we ended up…here."

“Okay, but do you know where they are?”

“Well...uh,” Sweetie Belle hesitated before looking down, ears folded. “No. I have no idea where they could be."

“Well, I do know this jungle fairly well. Maybe I can help,” Palmon offered.

Sweetie Belle looked up, her eyes sparkling with hope. “Really? You’d really do that?” Palmon smiled and nodded to her. Sweetie Belle was about to run up and give her a hug when a thought occurred to her. “Wait, why are you helping me? Don't get me wrong I’m grateful but, we just met a few minutes ago."

“Why not? The way I see it, strangers are just friends you haven't met yet."

Sweetie Belle smiled. “Well, thank you Palmon."

Palmon returned the smile. “Hey, no problem. So uh...should we start looking?”

“Alright,” Sweetie Belle nodded, following Palmon into the jungle. After a few minutes of searching, Sweetie Belle asked, “So, how big is this place anyway?”

Palmon looked up in thought. “Fairly big, but it doesn't cover the whole island. Don't worry though, if your friends are in here I’m sure we'll find them sooner or—”.

“Sweetie Belle!” a voice called out.

Sweetie Belle’s ears perked up, recognizing a sweet country accent. “Apple Bloom? Apple Bloom is that you?” she shouted.

“Sweetie Belle? Where are you?”

Before she could reply, she saw Diamond Tiara come around a tree. “She’s over here! She’s okay!” she shouted.

“Diamond Tiara?” Sweetie Belle asked excitedly. She then saw two familiar faces that brought a smile to her face. “Scootaloo! Apple Bloom!” She ran up to her two friends and nearly tackled Apple Bloom in her excitement. “Thank goodness you're okay."

“Took the words right outta my mouth," Apple Bloom giggled as she hugged her.

It was only after releasing Apple Bloom that Sweetie Belle noticed the small creature riding on her back. She noticed another one on Scootaloo's back. “Who are these guys?” Sweetie Belle asked.

Apple Bloom looked back to the Digimon on her back. “Oh, this is Upamon. And the one on Scootaloo is Gigimon."

“Aww, these little guys are kinda cute,” Sweetie Belle said, scratching Upamon behind the ear.

“Hehehe, stop. You're embarrassing me.” Upamon blushed.

Palmon walked up to the reunion with a smile. “So, I take it these are your friends Sweetie Belle?”

Sweetie Belle turned around, having forgotten that Palmon was even there. “Oh, yeah. These are my friends Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Diamond Tiara," she said, gesturing to everyone as they were introduced. “Everyone, this is Palmon."

“Hello there,” Palmon said with a wave.

“She saved my life from a couple of...uh, what were they called?” Sweetie Belle asked herself.

“Vegiemon?” Palmon offered.

“Yes, thank you Palmon,” Sweetie Belle said.

“A couple Vegiemon? Probably wasn’t too hard to fool them.” Upamon chuckled.

Apple Bloom looked back with a raised eyebrow. Before she could ask him what he meant, a rustling noise drew everyone's attention. Everyone turned in time to see Silver Spoon, Babs Seed, and Rumble tumble out from the treeline, gasping for breath.

“Did we lose it?” asked Rumble.

“Yeah, I think so," said Babs Seed between breaths. She looked up to see her cousin staring back at her. “Apple Bloom!”

“Babs!” said Apple Bloom, running up to Babs. “You okay?”

Babs Seed gave a small chuckle. “All things considered, yeah I'm good." Her eyes widened upon seeing the small Digimon on Apple Bloom’s back. “Um, cuz? You got somethin’ on your back."

“What?” Apple Bloom asked, looking behind her. “Oh, you talkin’ about Upamon here? Don’t worry about him, he’s a friend."

Babs Seed looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “You sure? ‘Cause we were just—”

“Silver Spoon!” Diamond Tiara shouted. In an instant, she was by her friend’s side trying to help her up. “Are you okay? What happened to you?”

“Big...red...beetle...chase…” Silver Spoon said between breaths before collapsing onto Diamond Tiara.

Babs Seed and Rumble stared at Silver Spoon. “Seriously? We didn't run that far," said Rumble.

“Yeah. You really need to work out a bit more,” Babs Seed agreed.

Silver Spoon shot them a glare. “Shut…up."

“So, what happened to you Babs?” asked Apple Bloom.

“Well, we all woke up not far from each other,” Babs Seed began. “We all met up near a big tree and were trying to get our bearings. Rumble flew up to the top of the tree to get a bird’s eye view. He was telling us what he saw when all of the sudden he spotted some kind of giant red beetle flying towards us. We ran deeper into the jungle in order to lose it, then we bumped into you girls. Glad to see you're alright by the way."

“Likewise," Apple Bloom smiled.

Scootaloo, who was standing a few feet away from the scene, felt Gigimon shift a little on her back. She looked back to see Gigimon staring at a certain point in the treeline, his eyes darting from tree to tree. “What is it?” Scootaloo asked.

“Something's coming this way.” Gigimon replied.

A low buzzing noise caused Scootaloo to look around, thinking it was mosquitos. As the buzzing grew in intensity, she turned her gaze to where Gigimon was looking. “Hey uh, Babs? Are you sure you lost whatever was chasing you?” Scootaloo asked.

“Fairly sure. Why?” Babs replied.

Suddenly, a large monster resembling a red stag beetle burst through the trees. “That’s why!” Scootaloo shouted.

Everyone watched in horror as the giant beetle soared overhead, cutting through trees as if its pincers were made of steel. “Oh no. It’s a Kuwagamon!” Gigimon shouted.

Suddenly a tree fell to the right of them, blocking the way that Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Diamond Tiara came in. “Run for it!” Sweetie Belle shouted.

The group tried to run out of the clearing, but was quickly blocked by Kuwagamon. They all looked in horror at the giant red Digimon. His large body towering over the little ponies. His four arms poised to strike at a moment’s notice, and his pincers ready to cut them down to size.

Suddenly, Kuwagamon threw his head back, letting out a loud roar. Everypony stumbled back in fear, until they noticed that the Digimon seemed to be in pain. Scootaloo noticed that her back felt lighter. Looking back, she saw that Gigimon wasn’t there anymore. She looked back to see that Gigimon was biting down on one of Kuwagamon’s arms. She could only watch as Kuwagamon flailed him off, throwing him into a tree.

“Gigimon!” Scootaloo shouted, running over to Gigimon’s side. She gently picked him up. “You okay little guy?”

Gigimon groaned, but still managed to give a smile. “I’m okay, but that Digimon has one mean throw."

Scootaloo looked back at the massive insect. She noticed that the arm where Gigimon bit down had burn marks on it. She also could see that it was not to happy that it was bitten in the first place.

Kuwagamon gave off a loud roar, taking a massive step towards the group. Before it could take another step however, several vines wrapped around his other leg, causing him to tumble forward. Everypony quickly ran out of the way just as Kuwagamon hit the ground.

Sweetie Belle looked behind Kuwagamon, tracing the vines back to their source: Palmon’s hands.

“Sweetie Belle, run!” Palmon shouted, holding Kuwagamon back.

Before anypony could make a move, Kuwagamon opened his wings and took off, flying over the group, and dragging Palmon with him. Palmon managed to untie herself from Kuwagamon before he got to high. Unfortunately, the momentum from the take off caused her to fly right into Sweetie Belle, sending them both tumbling to the ground.

Sweetie Belle got up and shook herself off before going to Palmon. “You alright their Palmon?” Sweetie Belle asked as she helped her up.

“I’m alright,” Palmon groaned. “Sorry about that though.”

Apple Bloom looked up to see Kuwagamon starting to bank right. “I think he’s circling around,” she said pointing at Kuwagamon. “We need to move now!”

Everypony galloped deeper into the jungle, with Palmon running beside Sweetie Belle, and Gigimon and Upamon riding on Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, respectively. Everypony picked up speed as they heard Kuwagamon get closer. All of a sudden, Apple Bloom felt Upamon hop off her back. She looked back to see Upamon on a collision course with Kuwagamon. Right before they crashed however, Upamon let out a loud yelp, sending a small shockwave right at Kuwagamon’s face. The force of the shockwave knocked Kuwagamon off course, sending him crashing into the treeline.

Apple Bloom skidded to a stop, giving Upamon a chance to catch up. “Haha, got him!” Upamon said.

“You think you can warn me before ya do somethin’ like that again?” Apple Bloom said as he climbed atop her back. “I thought you fell off or somethin’!”

“Sorry,” Upamon replied.

As soon as Upamon was secured on her back, Apple Bloom took off to catch up with the others. She managed to catch up with Scootaloo, who was a few feet behind the group. “Everything okay, Apple Bloom?” she asked as she galloped alongside her.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Apple Bloom said. “Come on, we’re losing the others.” And with that she picked up her pace, along with Scootaloo. As they began to close the distance between themselves and the rest of the group however, Kuwagamon came flying out of the treeline, cutting through the trees like a knife through warm butter. A large tree came crashing down right in front of Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, forcing them to stop dead in their tracks. They turned around to run in the opposite direction, only to find Kuwagamon had landed behind them. Between the fallen tree, and the debris that was created in the wake of Kuwagamon’s entrance, they were cornered.

Babs Seed, having heard the commotion from behind the group, glanced behind her to see Kuwagamon towering over a fallen tree, with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo nowhere in sight. “Everypony, stop!” she shouted while bringing herself to a stop.

“What, what is it?” Rumble asked from the front of the group. “Wait a second, where’s Scootaloo and Apple Bloom?”

“I think they're stuck back there!” Babs Seed said, pointing to the fallen tree.

“What!” Sweetie Belle shouted. “We gotta do something. Come on!” Sweetie Belle and Palmon began running towards the tree.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Rumble shouted.

“We can’t just leave them,” Sweetie Belle shouted back. Realizing that she was right, the rest of the group followed her.

Meanwhile, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom had their backs pressed to the tree, and were holding onto Upamon and Gigimon. “Uh, Scoots,” Apple Bloom said, her voice quivering. “I don’t suppose you have any ideas to get us outta this do ya? Cause’ I’m drawing blanks here.”

Scootaloo quickly shook her head. “Sorry, I’m too scared to think right now.”

“I was afraid you’d say that,” Apple Bloom said as Kuwagamon snapped his big red pincers at them.

“We can fight him,” Upamon said.

Apple Bloom looked down at him. “Huh?”

“Me and Gigimon, we can fight him.”

“What, are you nuts? Look at him, he’ll crush you two like grapes!”

“It’s your best chance to get outta here,” Upamon looked over at Gigimon. “Come on Gigimon, we gotta protect our friends!” And with that, Upamon struggled to get out of Apple Bloom’s grip.

“Gigimon, stop squirming!” Scootaloo said as Gigimon tried to free himself from her forelegs.

“Upamon, please don’t do this!” Apple Bloom pleaded.

Upamon stopped squirming and looked Apple Bloom in the eye. He gave her a small smile and said, “It was nice meeting you Apple Bloom.”

In a burst of strength, Upamon broke free. Gigimon wriggled his way out of Scootaloo’s grip shortly after and hopped after Upamon. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo could only watch as Gigimon and Upamon charged towards Kuwagamon.

“UPAMON!” Apple Bloom shouted.

“GIGIMON, STOP!” Scootaloo shouted as she reached out to him.

Suddenly, the screens on Apple Bloom and Scootaloo’s devices lit up. Scootaloo looked at her device as it began emitting a brilliant blue light. Apple Bloom watched as her’s gave a similar reaction. The rest of the group came around from the tree just in time to see Upamon and Gigimon become enveloped by a mysterious light.

Gigimon Digivolve to…
GUILMON

Upamon Digivolve to…
ARMADILLOMON

As the light faded away, everypony stared slack-jawed at the Digimon that now stood before Kuwagamon. Even Kuwagamon had taken a small step backwards in shock.

Gigimon, now Guilmon, was taller now and had arms sporting three sharp claws. His two remaining legs had grown stronger and also now had two claws on each foot. His mouth was filled with razor sharp teeth, his tail now longer. And a strange black symbol now was emblazoned across his white belly.

Whereas Upamon previously had no legs, Armadillomon now had four. Most of his body was covered in a hard shell, save for his paws, tail, and some of his head. Each one of his paws possessed three sharp looking claws.

“Whoa…” Scootaloo said, breaking the silence.

“What...how did they…?” Apple Bloom stuttered, struggling to form a coherent sentence.

Guilmon looked down at his new claws. “Did...did we just digivolve?” he asked.

Armadillomon inspected his new shell covered legs. “I think so,” he said, speaking with a slightly deeper voice with a country accent. He looked over at Gigimon and smiled. “I don’t know about you, but I think our odds just got better.”

Guilmon’s only response was to growl at Kuwagamon, who responded by letting out a low chittering noise, followed by a couple snaps of his pincers. He then charged towards the group letting out a loud roar.

“PYRO SPHERE!” Guilmon shouted, launching a fireball from his mouth. The fireball hit Kuwagamon square in the head, causing him to halt his charge.

Seeing him falter, Armadillomon seized the opportunity. “DIAMOND SHELL!” Armadillomon shouted as he curled himself into a ball, and launched himself at Kuwagamon. Armadillomon slammed right into Kuwagamon’s chest, sending him tumbling back onto the ground.

Armadillomon landed back on the ground right next to Guilmon. “Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, get to cover!” Armadillomon shouted.

Shaking themselves out of their stupor, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo ran behind the log to rejoin the rest of their friends.

“You two alright?” Rumble asked.

“Yeah, I think so,” Scootaloo replied. She looked to see Apple Bloom watching the fight just around the corner.

“Darn, this guy is persistent I’ll give im’ that,” Armadillomon said as Kuwagamon slowly got up. Armadillomon’s eyes were drawn to a large tree off to the left behind Kuwagamon, and an idea began to form. “Hey, Guilmon,” he said.

“Huh?” Guimon replied.

Armadillomon quickly motioned for Guilmon to come closer. He lowered his head down to Armadillomon’s level. Armadillomon quickly whispered into Guilmon’s ear, keeping his eyes on Kuwagamon. As soon as Armadillomon finished, Guilmon nodded his head and turned to the recovered Kuwagamon.

“PYRO SPHERE!” he shouted, launching another fireball at Kuwagamon’s chest. The force of the impact caused him to stumble a bit. While he was stunned Guilmon quickly ran to the left, heading around Kuwagamon. As soon as he recovered, Kuwagamon let out an angry roar, and chased after Guilmon.

Guilmon had stopped in front of a large tree, his back to the trunk. He waited as Kuwagamon quickly closed the distance between them. Right before he could hit him though, Guilmon dove out of the way, causing him to slam right into the base of the tree trunk.

Kuwagamon slowly turned around, still dazed from the impact in time to see Armadillomon charging right at him.

“DIAMOND SHELL!” he shouted, slamming himself into Kuwagamon’s chest and sending him back into the tree with the sound of splintering wood.

Kuwagamon slowly got up, anger fueling his every move. He could see the two Digimon off to the right. He stayed focussed on them as he recovered, oblivious to what was happening behind him. He had just enough time to give one more angry roar before the tree fell down on top of him.

A few moments of silence passed before Apple Bloom and the others began to step out from behind their cover. She looked at the massive red insect laying still under the tree. “Is it...dead?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Nah,” Armadillomon replied. “Just knocked out. How bout’ you? Are ya’ll okay?”

“Yeah, we’re fine,” Apple Bloom said with a smile. “Thanks to you two.”

“Yeah, you were awesome out their Gigimon!” Scootaloo said, now having to look up at the slightly taller red Digimon.

Guilmon smiled back and said, “Thanks, but it’s Guilmon now.” Scootaloo tilted her head the side.

“Can somepony please explain what the heck just happened?” Silver Spoon yelled, causing everyone to look at her.

Before anyone could respond, a loud rustling noise drew their attention back to the battlefield. Everyone could see Kuwagamon slowly moving.

“Maybe we should get out of here,” Rumble said. The rest of the group murmered in agreement, and ran into the treeline.

After a few more minutes of running, the group sat down on a cliff that overlooked the ocean. For a few moments, the only sounds that they could hear were that of the waves, and everyone catching their breath. That is, until Diamond Tiara broke the silence. “So, what were you asking about Silver?” she asked.

Silver Spoon looked up and said, “Uh, how did they just transform like that? Am I really the only one who’s at least a little curious about that?”

“Nah, I’m pretty curious about that too,” Apple Bloom replied before turning to Armadillomon. “What was that?”

Armadillomon looked up at Apple Bloom. “Well, we digivolved from our In-Training forms to our Rookie forms.”

“Digivolve?”

“It’s a process that Digimon use to become more powerful,” said Palmon. “Since we are all made of data, we can download more data in order to make ourselves stronger.”

“Data? You mean, like information?” Silver Spoon asked.

“Yeah, sort of,” Palmon answered. “If we can download enough data, we can digivolve into our next form. In this case, Gigimon digivolved to Guilmon, and Upamon digivolved to Armadillomon.”

Apple Bloom looked at Armadillomon. “So, you’re a different Digimon now?”

Armadillomon took a moment to think about that. “Well...yes and no. I look different and sound different, I’m also a bit stronger than when I was Upamon. But I’m still the same Digimon that you helped when I was tryin’ to get those mangoes.”

Apple Bloom smiled. “Well I don’t care what you look like. Ya saved our necks, again. I can’t thank you enough.”

“Yeah,” Scootaloo said, looking up at Guilmon. “You really got us out of a jam there uh...Guilmon.” Guilmon smiled back. “I mean, did you all see how he blasted that thing? KABOOM! That was awesome! And how Armadillomon knocked him back into that tree?”

“I’ll be honest,” Armadillomon said. “Part of me wanted to yell, ‘Timber!’” Apple Bloom gave a light chuckle and shook her head.

“Hey uh, guys?” Rumble spoke up. “I really hate to be a buzzkill but...does anypony have any ideas on how we get home?”

Chapter 3: The First Night

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The only sounds that could be heard were that of the waves lapping against the cliff face as the group sat in silence. Rumble looked around to see everypony either looking around nervously, or lost in thought. Silver Spoon was glancing between everypony else, waiting for somepony to speak up. The Digimon sat on the side, curious as to what was going to happen. And Apple Bloom was pacing back and forth, occasionally stopping to scratch her head or look at the group.

After three minutes of total silence, Apple Bloom finally spoke up. “Okay, um...maybe we should go over what we know so far.”

“What we know so far?” Silver Spoon asked. “Okay, here’s the deal: We got sucked into a machine, got knocked unconscious, woke up separated from each other, got chased by a giant stag beetle—”

“Plus a giant praying mantis if you count me and Apple Bloom,” Diamond Tiara interrupted.

“Nearly got eaten by said giant stag beetle,” Silver Spoon continued. “And now here we are wondering WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO NOW!” Everyone recoiled at the sudden escalation of Silver Spoon’s rant as she started breathing heavily, her glasses slightly askew.

Diamond Tiara slowly approached her friend. “Okay um, Silver Spoon? Maybe you should try to calm down a bit.”

Silver Spoon turned towards Diamond Tiara. “Calm down? How can you be calm after what just happened? Do you need me to go over all that again?”

“Uh no, I was there too. But you’re kinda forgetting something.”

“What?”

“We’re fine,” Diamond Tiara paused to let that sink in. “We were able to get out of there without so much as a scratch.”

Silver Spoon looked down in thought, then glanced over at Guilmon and Armadillomon. “Yeah, but...what if they weren’t there to help?”

“But they were. And that’s the only thing that matters right now. We’re all okay.”

“That’s right,” Sweetie Belle said. “It won’t do us any good if we worry about what might have happened.”

“Right,” Diamond Tiara said. “So, take a deep breath, okay? Because to be honest, you’re scaring me a bit here.”

Silver Spoon gave a light chuckle. She took a deep breath before adjusting her glasses. “Okay, I’m good. Thanks Di.”

“Anytime Sil,” Diamond Tiara smiled before giving her best friend a quick hug.

Silver Spoon looked toward the rest of the group, rubbing the back of her head. “Sorry about that everypony. I didn’t mean to snap like that.”

Apple Bloom smiled. “It’s alright. But now we need to figure out what to do next.”

“Maybe we can find some way back home through the jungle,” Rumble suggested. “I mean, we ended up there in the first place. Maybe we can find the way we got here.”

“Well, we kinda ended up all ova’ the place,” Babs Seed said. “That’s a lot of ground to cover.”

“And I didn’t see any doorways, magical or otherwise,” Silver Spoon said. “I think we were sent here by teleportation, not a portal. If it was a portal we all would have woke up in the exact same spot.”

“How do you know that?” Rumble asked.

“I read about it in one of my dad’s old books,” Silver Spoon said. “They were from his days studying at Canterlot. There was a whole chapter dedicated to teleportation. I was curious about it after seeing Princess Twilight constantly teleport like it was nothing. I mean, I heard that it was difficult for most unicorns, but it comes to her so...” She looked up to see everyone staring at her.

“Wow,” Sweetie Belle said. “You seem to know quite a bit about that.”

Silver Spoon blushed. “Yeah, when something peaks my interest, I like to find out more about it.”

“That’s pretty neat,” Apple Bloom said. “But I don’t think brainstormin’ ways to get home is our biggest concern right now.”

Babs looked over at Apple Bloom. “Whaddya mean?”

“Well, we got dropped here without any of our stuff. We don’t have any food or water, and from the looks of things it’s gonna be dark in a few hours. I think we need to focus on findin’ a place to camp, preferably near a source of fresh water. If we can find somethin’ to eat then that would be great. But water is the most important thing.”

“So, where do you suggest we look?” Diamond Tiara asked.

Apple Bloom thought back to the times she and Applejack went hiking. Applejack would often take some time after setting up camp to teach Apple Bloom a couple things regarding wilderness survival. Sometimes Apple Bloom would ask why she needed to know how to build a shelter or start a fire if they had a tent and matches. Applejack would then say, “Cause’ one day, you may find yourself in a situation where ya don’t have any of the camping gear we brought. If that happens, you’ll be glad you’ve got a big sister who taught ya what to do.” Now, she could almost hear Applejack saying, “I told ya so!”

Apple Bloom pushed back the urge to smile and focused on the situation at hoof. “Well, we should go further inland. We might be able to find a stream, or some other source of running water.”

Palmon put a hand up. “I think I know someplace like that. It’s not too far from here.”

“But what if that giant bug shows up again?” Rumble asked.

“After takin’ a beatin’ like that, I doubt it,” Armadillomon replied.

“Alright then, let’s go,” Apple Bloom said as Palmon led the group back into the jungle.

The group walked through the jungle in silence, keeping an eye out for any other Digimon. Every sound, save for that of buzzing mosquitoes, put everypony on edge. Fortunately, the trip was uneventful as Palmon led them to a large stream.

“Here we are,” said Palmon. “I come here sometimes for a drink of water. The trees take up a lot of space here, so this place isn’t ideal for any big Digimon looking to establish their territory.”

Apple Bloom looked around. Though there was some open space near the stream, the trees were still close enough to create natural barriers. It would be difficult for anything like Kuwagamon or Snimon to move around here. Looking to the stream, she figured it would be better to be safe than sorry. She walked to the stream, and took a small sip of the water. It didn’t have any funny taste to it, or seem to have any sediment from the bottom of the stream. With her caution satisfied, Apple Bloom lowered her head back down and drank some more.

Seeing no objections from Apple Bloom, the rest of the group came up to the stream to quench their thirst. After everyone drank their full, they took a seat in the shade.

“Okay, so we’ve got water taken care of,” Rumble said. “What are we gonna do about food?”

“I think I saw a few of those mango trees further back,” Diamond Tiara said, gesturing towards the treeline behind them. “But we need to find a place to sleep.”

“What’s wrong with sleepin’ here?” asked Apple Bloom.

“What, you mean in the dirt?”

“Well, there ain’t exactly a motel around here.”

“Yeah, but…”

“Look, none of us are exactly thrilled about this,” said Scootaloo. “But we have to work with what we have.”

“Well, what if it rains?” Silver Spoon asked.

“Well, we’re obviously gonna need to build a shelter,” Apple Bloom said, looking around at the size of the group. “Probably a few.”

Silver Spoon slumped down. “We’ve been running around all day! My legs are killing me.”

“Alright, we can take a break. But we need to have somethin’ up before it gets dark.”

Sweetie Belle put a hoof to her chin. “You think maybe we can make some sort teepee or hut out of the leaves here? I saw some pretty big ones lying around.”

“That could take awhile though,” Apple Bloom said as she glanced at the sun’s position. “From the looks of things, we have a couple of hours till’ sunset. I think our best bet is to make a few lean-tos and then use whatever materials we have left to make a fire.”

“A few what?” asked Guilmon.

Apple Bloom looked around and picked up a couple of sticks. “A lean-to. It’s a simple shelter to make.” She held one stick up straight and held the other so it was touching the top of the first stick at an angle. “Basically, you make a frame by leaning two big sticks on a couple of big sticks standin’ upright. Then have another stick goin’ across the top, between the two. Then we take some more sticks and lay them across the frame. We can also place some of the larger leaves around on top to protect against any rain. It might not be a bad idea to cover up the sides too.”

Scootaloo raised her hoof. “So, it’s essentially a slanted roof open to one side?”

“Pretty much,” Apple Bloom shrugged.

“But what happens if the wind blows towards the opening? It won’t do us much good then.”

“Well, what if we had four shelters,” Apple Bloom said as she picked up four small rocks. She then positioned them like the directions on a compass. “If we positioned them like this, then the wind would be blocked from four different sides. And if we build a fire in the middle, the shelters should contain at least some of the heat.”

“Hmm...sounds good to me,” said Armadillomon. Everyone else either nodded their head or murmured in agreement.

“So, should we split up and have some of us get food while the rest build the shelters?” Rumble asked.

Apple Bloom scratched the back of her head. “I think it would be better if we focussed on building the shelters first. Hopefully then it’ll get done quickly.”

“Well, nothing’s going to get done if we sit on our rumps all evening,” Scootaloo said before getting up. “Come on everypony, and Digimon, we’re burning daylight!”

For the next hour and a half, the group worked to gather the necessary materials and build the lean-to shelters. Guilmon and Palmon were especially helpful during the construction of the frames. They would lend a hand to hold the sticks in place while Sweetie Belle used her magic to lash the sticks together with vines. Armadillomon would help break down larger sticks with his claws.

Before long, everyone was looking at four lean-to shelters. Each one built to block the wind from a different angle. The roofs were covered with large leaves and twigs. The sides of the shelters were covered in a similar manner, protecting the occupants from the elements from three sides.

As the group looked at the completed project, Rumble was the first to speak up. “For something that had to be put together fairly quickly, it doesn’t look that bad.”

“Yeah, not bad at all,” Apple Bloom agreed.

Before anyone else could say anything, a loud grumble made everyone look to Sweetie Belle. “Hehe...sorry. I’m kinda hungry,” Sweetie Belle blushed. “Diamond Tiara, didn’t you say that there were some mango trees near here?”

“Yeah,” Diamond Tiara replied. “I saw a few of them not too far from here.”

“Well, the hard part is just about done,” Apple Bloom said. “Alright, why don’t you take Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Guilmon with ya. Try to get as much as ya can.”

“What about the rest of you?”

“Well, we need to work on makin’ a campfire. We can also use some of the leftover leaves we have to make bedding for the shelters.”

“Okay then,” Diamond Tiara said, turning to Sweetie Belle. “Let’s go.”

“Come on Guilmon,” Scootaloo said, going after Diamond Tiara.

“Okee dokee,” Guilmon replied.

As the three ponies, and Guilmon, walked into the treeline, Diamond Tiara heard Apple Bloom instructing everyone else. “Alright, we wanna make sure that the fire doesn’t burn the shelters. So first we need to dig away the grass where the fire will be. Then, we should get some…” The rest of it faded out as they went further away.

Diamond Tiara led them to a few mango trees not far from their camp. “Alright, this should be easy,” Diamond Tiara said, walking confidently to the tree. “We just get the fruit and get back.” She turned around near the tree, bucked the trunk and waited for the fruit to fall out.

Except that nothing did fall out. Diamond looked back up the tree to see the mangoes still hanging off the tree. She gave another kick...nothing. “Come. On!” she shouted, finishing each word with a kick. She heard a soft thump to her right, and turned to see one mango had fallen out. She looked up to see Guilmon with his head tilted to one side, while Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were trying their best not to laugh. “Oh, shut up and help me out here,” Diamond Tiara grumbled.

Meanwhile at the campsite, Armadillomon had dug a small, shallow fire pit. Babs had built a ring around the fire pit using rocks from near the stream. Currently she was helping Apple Bloom build the fire, arranging small sticks into the shape of a teepee. Rumble, Palmon and Silver Spoon were using some of the larger, soft leaves to make bedding for the shelters.

“Kinda small, don’t ya think coz?” Babs Seed said, placing another stick on the teepee. “Don’t we want the fire to be a bit bigger?”

“Well yeah, but the fire has to be able to grow first,” said Apple Bloom. “If you put too much on it, the fire will smother out.”

Silver Spoon had finished up one of the shelters when she heard some kind of battle cry from nearby, followed by the sound of an impact. “What was that?” she asked.

The others looked up from what they were doing, trying to locate the disturbance. “I don’t know,” said Palmon. “You stay here, I’ll go check it out. I’ll call you if I need help.”

As Palmon ran off into the jungle, Rumble began to worry. “That sounded close by, do you think the others are alright?”

“I’m sure they’re fine,” Babs said. “Besides, they’ve got Guilmon with them.”

Silver Spoon looked from the jungle back to the campfire construction. “Hey Apple Bloom? I’ve been meaning to ask, how do you plan on lighting that?”

Apple Bloom stopped and stared at the fire pit. “Well...uh—”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. You mean to tell me you’ve been setting up a fire this whole time, and you have no idea how to light it!”

“Hey!” Babs Seed shouted, getting up. “Back off! She’s gotten us this far, just give her a few minutes. She’ll come up with somethin’. Right cuz?”

“Uh, yeah,” Apple Bloom replied. She put a hoof to her head, trying to concentrate. She knew that if they didn’t have a fire by nightfall, it was going to be a long night for everyone. “Maybe we can use your glasses Silver Spoon.”

“My glasses?” Silver Spoon replied, putting a hoof up to the object in question.

“Yeah. Maybe if we hold them so that they focus the sunlight onto the tinder, we can light the fire that way.”

Silver Spoon looked to the fire pit, then up to the trees and the setting sun. “I’m not sure the sun’s at a good enough angle for that.”

Apple Bloom looked at the fire pit and realized she was right. There was barely any sunlight on the firepit, and using the glasses might take too long to light it. They would run out of sunlight before they even got an ember. “Well, uh...I’m open to suggestions.”

Before anypony could put forth any suggestions, Guilmon came walking out of the forest rubbing his head. The rest of the group came out shortly afterwards, with Palmon dragging a large leaf with a small pile of mangoes.

“I just wanna know, what were you thinking?” Scootaloo asked, trotting up next to Guilmon. “I mean, what made you think that that was a good idea?”

“I don’t know,” Guilmon groaned.

Scootaloo shook her head. “You are something else.”

“What’s goin’ on?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Well, we got plenty of mangoes,” said Diamond Tiara. “Partly due to Guilmon using a rather...unconventional method to get them out of one of the trees.”

“So, what did we miss over here?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Oh, not much,” Silver Spoon said. “The shelters are done, and we have a campfire that we have no idea how to light.”

“Wait, what do you mean?” Diamond Tiara asked.

“I mean the so-called 'survival expert' here doesn’t know how we’re supposed to make the pile of sticks catch fire. What more do you need to know?” Silver Spoon replied. Behind her, Babs Seed was looking at the large stick in her hoof, and the distance between her and Silver Spoon.

“Hold on a minute,” Sweetie Belle said, a hoof to her chin. “Apple Bloom, remember how your sister started the campfires when we went to Winsome Falls? Didn’t Applejack use some kind of bow or something?”

“Yeah, she said it was the 'bow and drill' method,” Apple Bloom replied. “I thought about that, but there’s not really anything we can use for the string of the bow. The vines are too thick.”

“Well what can we use?”

“Well, if one of ya’ll happens to have any string or dental floss, then that would be great.”

“Wait...dental floss?” Babs Seed asked. “What good is that gonna—”

“PYRO SPHERE!” Guilmon shouted from a few feet behind Apple Bloom and Babs Seed, causing the two fillies to jump. They looked back in time to see him launch a small fire ball into the fire pit. In a few moments, the sticks inside were aflame. Guilmon looked up at the two stunned ponies with a smile. “How did I do?”

Apple Bloom looked from Guilmon to the fire. “Huh...that works too, I guess.”

“How come none of us thought of that sooner?” Babs Seed asked, before giving a small salute towards Guilmon. “Thanks big guy.”

“Well, I don’t know about you all, but I’m starvin’,” said Armadillomon. “Who’s up for some grub?”

As night fell, the group ate in relative silence. As Sweetie Belle finished her second mango, she looked around the campsite. Guilmon was in front of the largest shelter next to Scootaloo, who had the foresight to help make a shelter big enough for both of them. Babs Seed, Apple Bloom and Armadillomon were having a chat in their shelter. Palmon was sitting right next to Sweetie Belle, with Rumble on her left. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon seemed to be lost in thought. Diamond Tiara was staring into the fire while Silver Spoon was taking her time on her second mango.

Sweetie Belle tried thinking of something to say, when she heard a small gust of wind behind her. She looked towards the back of the shelter, listening to the wind buffet against the wall of leaves and sticks. She waited for at least some small chill to pass through the makeshift barrier, but none came. She looked towards Apple Bloom. “Good call on the shelters Apple Bloom. They do a great job at blocking the wind.”

Apple Bloom smiled back. “Thanks Sweetie Belle. I’m just glad we were able to get em up in time.”

“Honestly, I kinda had fun building them,” Scootaloo said, looking around her shelter. “Kinda reminds me of the time we had a sleepover at Sweetie Belle’s house. Remember how we built those forts and had a pillow fight?”

“Oh yeah,” Sweetie Belle replied. “I remember how yours had almost fallen apart halfway through that. Then all of a sudden, you burst out with a pillow over your head yelling 'Banzai!', and leapt at Apple Bloom.” Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle laughed.

“Hey, you did not see the look on her face when she came after me,” Apple Bloom said. “She meant business when she did that.”

Scootaloo looked at Apple Bloom with narrowed eyes. “I did what I had to do. I swore that Fort Feather Wall would not fall in vain.” Her face broke into a grin. “Plus, seeing the look on your face made it totally worth it.” She leaned back, eyes wide, and put her hooves up while opening her mouth in a silent scream. This sent the rest of the Cutie Mark Crusaders into a laughing fit.

Throughout this exchange, Silver Spoon looked around the campsite. Her gaze shifted between the shelter she was in, the campfire and Apple Bloom. Her gaze lingered on the campfire for a few moments before she looked up to Apple Bloom. “I’m sorry,” she said.

Apple Bloom looked at Silver Spoon. “For what?” she asked.

“For earlier, about the fire. It’s just...you seemed to know exactly what to do at the time. You came up with a plan, told us how to build these shelters and everything. But then, when you got stuck on how to light the fire, I immediately assumed we would never get it lit. And I...lashed out at you when you didn’t deserve it.”

“Well, I didn’t know what to do. If Guilmon didn’t light the fire like he did, we probably wouldn’t have one.” Apple Bloom smiled. “But that’s the beauty of bein’ part of a team. Nopony has the whole solution. We all have some part of it, we just have to figure out how the pieces fit.”

Silver Spoon looked down. “Yeah well, some help I turned out to be today. All I did was complain and have two freakouts ever since we got here.”

Apple Bloom frowned. But before she could offer any comforting words, Rumble spoke up. “Hey, check that out,” he said.

Apple Bloom looked over to Rumble to see him staring up at something. “What is it?” she asked before looking up. “What do you...see?”

Everyone else looked up. Nopony could stop their jaws from dropping at the sight that was above them. Stars covered every inch of the clear night sky, turning what should have been an inky black into a dark blue. They could see hundreds of stars clustered in a kind of streak across the sky, like a dark cloud that had formed in space. It was as though Princess Luna herself painted a masterpiece, and had used the entire night sky as her canvas.

“Wow…” Scootaloo said.

“You said it…” Diamond Tiara said.

“That’s...how come the sky back home isn’t this pretty?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Speak for yourself,” Babs Seed said. “Back in Manehattan, I’m lucky to see more than one star at night.”

“Wait, seriously?” Apple Bloom asked, turning to look at Babs. “I mean, it’s not like this in Ponyville but we can still see a fair bit of constellations. How come it ain’t like that in Manehattan?”

“Light pollution,” said Silver Spoon.

Rumble tore his gaze away from the night sky and looked at Silver Spoon. “Say what?” Everyone else looked to Silver Spoon, curious as to what she meant as well.

“Yeah, apparently the lights that are left on at night affect the way we see the stars. Their lights overpower that of the stars, which makes them seem faint. That’s why it’s hard to see them in certain towns.”

Babs Seed blew her hair out of her eyes as she looked back up. “As somepony who comes from the city that never sleeps, that makes a lot of sense.”

“So...we could be seeing this every night?” Scootaloo asked. “But we don’t because we leave the lights on?”

“More or less,” Silver Spoon shrugged before looking up.

Apple Bloom glanced at Silver Spoon. Was she always this smart? she thought. Her gaze drifted down to the device on her foreleg, which was white with turquoise buttons. Apple Bloom then looked down at the device on her own foreleg. She stared at it for a few moments before turning back to Silver Spoon. “Hey, Silver Spoon. What do you think of these? I mean, what do ya think they are?” Apple Bloom asked, gesturing to her device.

Silver Spoon looked up at Apple Bloom before looking down to her left foreleg. “I don’t know. One thing I know for sure is that they’re part of the reason we’re in this mess.”

Scootaloo looked at the gadget on her foreleg before looking up at Apple Bloom. “Do you remember what happened back in the woods with Kuwagamon?” she asked. Apple Bloom looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Right before Upamon and Gigimon digivolved, these things started glowing.”

Apple Bloom glanced at her device, then looked at Armadillomon. “Yeah, you’re right,” Apple Bloom replied. “You think that they had somethin’ to do with that?”

Silver Spoon looked down at the buttons on her device. She lifted up a hoof to press one of the smaller buttons on the right.

“Uh, do you think it’s a good idea to just start pushing buttons?” Rumble asked.

Silver Spoon glanced up at him. “Do you have the instruction manual that came with yours?” Rumble glanced down at the black and purple gadget on his foreleg, trying to come up with a response. “Didn’t think so,” Silver Spoon said.

Silver Spoon looked back down at the device. She pressed the button on the upper right, and the screen displayed an image of a magnifying glass. She pressed it again, and an image of a lightbulb came up. When she pressed the small button on the lower right, the screen went back to the magnifying glass. Okay, but do they actually do anything? she thought. She pressed the larger button on the left. Silver Spoon leaned back, eyes wide as the device projected a holographic screen.

“Whoa,” said Scootaloo. “How’d you do that?”

“When I pressed the smaller buttons, the screen would show different images.” Silver Spoon explained, still staring at the screen. “I pushed the large button when there was a picture of a magnifying glass.” She tilted her foreleg back and forth, watching how the holographic screen would also tilt.

Diamond Tiara leaned over to look at the screen. “But, what does it do? I mean, it’s blank.”

Silver Spoon shrugged. “Beats me.” She glanced up to see a small targeting reticule slide out from the top of the screen, then tilt itself up at an angle. She noticed that the ring inside the reticule was empty. As she continued to tilt the hologram, the reticule passed over Armadillomon, causing it to slightly fill up.

Silver Spoon paused, watching as the circular meter slowly drained. She looked from the screen to Armadillomon, who was watching the spectacle with silence. She repositioned the targeting reticule over Armadillomon until the ring was completely filled up. The device gave off a chirp, and the screen displayed a rotating image of Armadillomon, along with various other statistics.

Name: Armadillomon
Level: Rookie
Attribute: Free
Attacks:
Diamond Shell
Claw Chopping
Rigid Block

Silver Spoon stared at the screen with wide eyes. “Huh...that’s neat.” She looked up. “This thing gave me a list of the attacks that Armadillomon can do. Along with a couple other stats.”

Scootaloo looked at Guilmon, then down at her device. She pressed the upper right button to bring up the magnifying glass, then pressed the large button, bringing up the holographic screen. She then pointed the reticle at Guilmon, watching as the ring filled up. Like Silver Spoon’s device, Scootaloo’s gave off a chirp before displaying Guilmon’s information.

Name: Guilmon
Level: Rookie
Attribute: Virus
Attacks:
Pyro Sphere
Rock Breaker

“Cool.” Scootaloo said.

Sweetie Belle looked down at her green and orange device. “So, what else can this thing do?” She pressed the upper right button twice and brought up an image of a light bulb. When she pressed the large button, the screen lit up like a flashlight. She pointed it so that she wasn’t looking directly into it. She waited for the device to bring up some kind of holograms, but nothing happened. Experimentally, she pressed the large button again, turning the light off, then on, then off again.

“You tryin’ to send us signals or somethin’?” Apple Bloom asked, causing Sweetie Belle to look up.

Sweetie Belle glanced up at Apple Bloom. “No, I’m trying to see if this does anything cool like Silver Spoon’s did.” She looked back down at the device. “But I think this is just some kind of flashlight function.”

Babs Seed looked at Sweetie Belle’s device, then back at the blue and white one on her own foreleg. She got up and began to walk away from the campfire.

“Where you goin’ Babs?” Apple Bloom asked.

Babs Seed looked back. “I wanna try somethin’.” She trotted outside of the light of the campfire. She looked down at her device and switched on the flashlight function. Her device emitted a blue light that allowed her to see a few yards in front of her. “Hmm, not bad,” she said, nodding her head before trotting back to the campfire.

“So, these things have a flashlight and some kind of analyzer,” Silver Spoon said. “Maybe these were some kind of research tools. Maybe the ponies who made these things were studying this place.”

“But that doesn’t explain how they made Gigimon and Upamon digivolve,” Scootaloo said.

“Who says that these things were the cause? Maybe you switched on the flashlight by accident. Those two digivolving at the same time may have been a coincidence.”

Scootaloo looked from her device to Guilmon. “I don’t know…” she said.

Sweetie Belle gave off a yawn. “Well, I don’t know about anypony else, but I’m exhausted.”

“Well we did have an...interesting day,” Rumble said. “Not to mention it’s 9:30.”

Everyone turned to Rumble. “How do you know that?” Diamond Tiara asked.

Rumble lifted his left foreleg, showing his device. “Turns out this thing is also a watch.”

Diamond Tiara looked down at her device, scrolling up until she found an image of a clock. Sure enough, when she clicked on it, a digital clock showing 9:30 p.m. came up.

“Huh, well thats pretty neat and all, but…” Apple Bloom started before she let out a small yawn. “I’m plum tuckered myself. G’night y’all.” And with that, she settled down to try to get some sleep.

Diamond Tiara looked around the campsite as everypony tried to get comfortable on their leafy beds. She looked to Scootaloo, who was already fast asleep next to Guilmon. As Guilmon let out a huge yawn, Diamond Tiara couldn’t help but look at the sharp teeth in his mouth. How can she sleep so easily while close to something like that? she wondered. She shifted her gaze towards Armadillomon, who was sleeping next to Apple Bloom.

Diamond Tiara thought back to how Upamon became Armadillomon, and how he fought to protect them from Kuwagamon. He was under no obligation to do so, and yet he had saved Apple Bloom’s life, as well as her own, twice in one day. Why did you help us? Why are you still helping us? she thought.

She looked to Silver Spoon, wondering if her best friend had any thoughts. Unfortunately, it seemed as though the Sand Mare had already beaten her to it. Diamond Tiara watched Silver Spoon as her chest rose and fell. She looked down at the bed of leaves that she sat on and sighed. Well, if she can sleep on this…. She lay down on the soft leaves, shifting around until she got as comfortable as she could. Letting out another sigh, she stared into the campfire as her eyes slowly drifted shut.

Scootaloo woke up to feel a weight on top of her. She opened her eyes to find Guilmon’s claw draped over her. Still groggy from waking up, she gently lifted the claw off of her. She looked to her right to see Guilmon softly snoring. She propped herself up to see the campfire, reduced to smoldering ashes. Looking up, she saw everypony sleeping in their lean-tos. Everypony except Apple Bloom, who sat by the stream. Scootaloo slowly made her way over to her, stretching her legs along the way.

“Hey Apple Bloom,” Scootaloo said with a yawn.

Apple Bloom looked to Scootaloo. “Mornin’ Scoots.”

“What are you thinking about?” asked Scootaloo as she lowered her head down for a drink of water.

“What we need to do next. I think it’d be good if we tried to find someplace with a good view of the island. I wanna see if there’s any towns or villages nearby. Maybe we can get some help on how to get back to camp.”

“Yeah, speaking of Camp Friendship—” Scootaloo started, before wiping her mouth. She glanced back at the campsite before turning to Apple Bloom. “Do you think they’re looking for us?” she whispered.

“Well...yeah. We’ve been gone for a whole day. Of course they’re lookin’.”

“Do you think they’ll find us?”

Apple Bloom frowned. “Well, we did end up on an island. And in a whole other world at that. I hate to say it, but...I think we’re on our own.”

Scootaloo looked down, ears folded back. “Yeah, I kinda figured.”

Apple Bloom put a hoof on Scootaloo’s back. “Hey, we’ll be fine. We’ll find a way back, I promise.”

Scootaloo smiled back. “I know.”

The two fillies heard a groan from behind them. They turned around to find Diamond Tiara, still half asleep, stumbling towards them.

“Mornin’ Diamond Tiara. How ya holdin’ up?” Apple Bloom asked.

“I just slept on the ground,” Diamond Tiara stated, the grogginess seeping into her voice.

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom looked at each other. “Um...yeah. We all did.” Scootaloo said.

“I never thought I would find myself in a situation where I would be sleeping outside on a makeshift bed of leaves. How I got any sleep last night is beyond me.”

“Yeah, I hear ya,” Scootaloo said, massaging the back of her neck.

Diamond Tiara splashed some water onto her face in an effort to wake up. “So, what’re you two talking about.”

“Well, I was just sayin’ how we should see if anyone lives around here,” said Apple Bloom. “Maybe then we can get some help.”

“Okay, and how do you propose we go about doing that?”

“What if we climbed up there?” asked Scootaloo, pointing to something in the distance.

Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara turned to see Scootaloo pointing at a large mountain in the distance. “You’re joking, right?” Diamond Tiara asked.

“I mean, we don’t need to go all the way up. Just enough so that we can see any towns.”

Apple Bloom looked at the mountain for a few moments. “Alright, sounds like a plan. We’ll tell the others when they wake up.”

Diamond Tiara stared at the mountain. “Climbing up a mountain first thing in the morning, huh?” She lowered her head and let out a groan. “Just...peachy.”

As soon as everyone else woke up, Apple Bloom briefed the rest of the group on their next move. Despite a few complaints about having to climb a distant mountain, everypony agreed that finding help would be the best course of action. After eating a quick breakfast, everyone set out for Infinity Mountain, as Palmon had called it.

“So, have you ever gone up this mountain before Palmon?” asked Sweetie Belle.

“Nope,” Palmon said, shaking her head. “Never really had any reason to leave the jungle before today.”

“Really, I can’t imagine why you’d want to stay here,” Silver Spoon said, reaching up to wipe her forehead. “This humidity is doing a number on my hair.”

“Is she always like this?” Armadillomon asked Apple Bloom.

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. “Yeah, she’s used to air conditioning, fine dinin’, and maybe spendin’ a couple hours outside a day.”

Diamond Tiara looked up at the distant mountain. They had been walking for over half an hour, and it didn’t seem to be getting any closer. “Jeez, how far is this thing?”

“You know, complaining about it isn't going to make it come any closer.” Scootaloo said.

“Well yeah, but at this rate, it'll take all day for us to get there.”

“It’ll take even longer if you keep going on like this.”

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. This whole argument sounded like something heard during one of the Apple family’s road trips. The thought made her heart sink. Will I ever see them again? she wondered.

“You okay Apple Bloom?” Sweetie Belle asked.

Apple Bloom quickly lifted her head up. “Yeah, I'm fine.”

Scootaloo looked ahead to Apple Bloom, wondering what was going on. Before she could trot up to them, she heard a low growl. She looked behind her to see Guilmon hunched low, staring at a point in the treeline. His pupils had shrunk to pinpricks, and his teeth were bared as he let out another long growl.

“Guilmon? What’s wrong?” Scootaloo asked.

“We’ve got company!” Guilmon said.

Upon hearing this, Armadillomon and Palmon took a fighting stance, ready for anything. For a few tense moments, only silence reigned in the dense jungle. Then came a low buzzing sound that slowly grew in intensity.

“Not again,” Apple Bloom said, expecting to see Snimon.

Instead, three insect like Digimon burst from the trees, soaring over the group in formation. With the yellow and black stripes on their thorax, the four mandibles filled with teeth, and the four small arms, each tipped with a large black talon, they almost resembled giant wasps. The only thing that broke the consistency was the purple moth-like wings on their backs.

Sweetie Belle quickly activated her device’s analyzer function.

Name: Flymon
Level: Champion
Attribute: Virus
Attacks:
Brown Stingers
Poison Powder

“PYRO SPHERE!” Guilmon shouted, launching a fireball at the center Flymon, knocking it slightly off course and into the trees. The remaining two Flymon split off, encircling the group.

“BROWN STINGERS!” one of the Flymon shouted, launching his stinger like a projectile. Guilmon jumped back just as the stinger buried itself in the ground where he was standing.

The other Flymon launched a stinger directly towards Apple Bloom. “DIAMOND SHELL!” Armadillomon shouted, rolling directly into the stinger and destroying it.

Apple Bloom breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks Armadillomon.”

Silver Spoon watched the fight with wide eyes. She looked behind them to see a pathway through the jungle. “Come on guys, we need to get out of here!” she yelled before dashing down the path.

Babs Seed looked behind her. “Silver Spoon, whaddya doin’? We need to stick together!”

Silver Spoon ignored her and continued galloping down the path. Before she got too far, the third Flymon jumped in front of her, grabbing her in his black talons.

The group heard a scream from behind them. They all turned around in time to see Silver Spoon being carried off. “Silver Spoon! Nooo!” Diamond Tiara shouted.

The group heard another scream coming from close by. Apple Bloom whipped her head around to see Babs Seed in the clutches of another Flymon. “Babs!” Apple Bloom shouted as the Flymon took off. She immediately galloped after the massive insect Digimon. “Get your claws off my cousin!”

“POISON POWDER!” the third Flymon shouted as he flew over the group. A purple powder was released from his wings, covering the group and sending everyone into a coughing fit. The Digimon collapsed where they stood, and the ponies could only watch as their friends were carried away.

“No…,” Apple Bloom whispered. “No...no no NO!” She got up and galloped in the direction the Flymon went. Ignoring the shouts of protest behind her, she kept her eyes on the sky, trying desperately to catch up with the Flymon. Just hang in there you two! I promise I’ll get ya back! I just...I just need to—

“WATCH WHERE YOU’RE GOING!” shouted Scootaloo.

Apple Bloom looked in front of her to see that she was galloping straight for a cliff. Digging all four hooves into the ground, she skidded to a stop right before the cliff’s edge. She watched as a few rocks plummeted down into a white water river far below her. She quickly moved back, landing on her rump. Catching her breath, Apple Bloom looked up to see the Flymon fading into the distance.

Scootaloo galloped up to Apple Bloom, Guilmon stumbled in just behind her. “Apple Bloom, are you alright?” Scootaloo asked.

“They’re gone,” Apple Bloom said to herself. “They took them. I couldn’t stop them...I couldn’t...I was too slow…”

“Hey, snap out of it!” Scootaloo said, getting in front of Apple Bloom. “We’re going to get them back. But I need you to stay with me, got it?”

Apple Bloom gave a weak nod. She looked back to see their remaining party walking out of the jungle. While everypony else seemed to be alright, physically speaking, the Digimon seemed to be short of breath. She trotted up to Armadillomon. “Hey, you alright?” she asked.

Armadillomon gave a short cough. “I’ll be fine. Just...give me a few minutes.” Armadillomon looked to Palmon and Guilmon, who seemed to be in no better condition. “That last attack sapped the strength right out of us.”

Apple Bloom looked over to Diamond Tiara, who was looking out into the distance. She trotted up to her, gently putting a hoof on her back. Diamond Tiara looked over her shoulder to see Apple Bloom giving a small, understanding smile. She followed Diamond Tiara’s gaze back out to where their friends were taken. “Hold tight you two,” Apple Bloom said. “We’re comin’ for ya.”

As the squadron of Flymon flew past the edge of the jungle, they caught the attention of a red bird-like Digimon standing in the tree branches. His icy blue eyes narrowed at the site of two strange looking creatures held by two of the Flymon. He reached up to a belt wrapped around his white head, making sure that a red feather with an orange tip was secure on the back of his head. Giving a satisfactory nod, he focused on the Flymon, spread his wings, and took off in pursuit.

Chapter 4: The Village of Beginnings

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“Are you sure they went this way?” Diamond Tiara asked Rumble.

“Pretty sure, hold on,” Rumble said before flying up to the top of a tree.

Shortly after the Digimon had recovered from the Flymon attack, Apple Bloom and the rest of the group set out to track down Babs Seed and Silver Spoon. By the time they made their way across the river however, the Flymon were long gone. All they had to go on was the general direction the Flymon went. After ten minutes of running, they found themselves at the edge of the jungle, at a large river leading out into the ocean.

Apple Bloom sat down, exhausted. She looked up to see Diamond Tiara trotting back and forth nearby. “Would ya stop doin’ that please?”

“I can’t help it,” Diamond Tiara replied. “I’m worried about Silver Spoon.”

Apple Bloom looked down. She would be lying if she told her that she wasn't as worried for Babs Seed, if not more so. If only I’d been payin’ more attention! she thought.

Armadillomon walked up to Apple Bloom’s side. “You’re not still blamin’ yourself are ya?”

Apple Bloom turned to Armadillomon. “Babs was just a few feet away from me. I could have warned her or pulled her outta the way!”

“Did you call in those bugs?” Scootaloo asked. “Did you ask them to fillynap our friends?”

Apple Bloom looked up at Scootaloo, eyes wide. “What? No!”

“Well then, it’s not your fault!”

“Yeah, but—”

“If you pulled Babs out of the way, then they would have taken you instead. If you kept chasing them, you might not have stopped in time, and then…” Scootaloo looked down. “We would have lost three of our friends instead of two.”

Scootaloo looked up, a small fire in her eyes. “So stop moping around over something that clearly isn’t your fault. We need you to buck up girl!”

Apple Bloom looked Scootaloo in the eye. “Yeah...you’re right. Just because I couldn’t stop them then doesn’t mean I can’t do somethin’ now.”

“So, are you with us?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you?!”

“Yeah!”

Scootaloo smiled. “There’s the Apple Bloom we all know and love.”

Apple Bloom chuckled. “Thanks Scoots.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Diamond Tiara stood next to Sweetie Belle, Guilmon, and Palmon, watching Scootaloo give her pep talk. They were so absorbed in the moment that they almost didn’t notice Rumble landing beside them.

Sweetie Belle turned to him. “Did you see anything?”

“Well, I couldn’t find any sign of those bugs,” Rumble said. “But I think I found some sort of village.”

All eyes were on Rumble. “What?” Apple Bloom asked. She ran right up to Rumble. “Where? How far is it?”

“Wait a minute,” Diamond Tiara said, putting a hoof up. “What do you mean you 'think' you found a village?”

“Well…” Rumble started. “When I first saw it, it didn’t quite look like any town I’ve seen.”

“Well, what did it look like?” Apple Bloom inquired. “Was it a collection of huts? Was it big like Ponyville? Come on, tell us.”

“Honestly, it kinda looked like the buildings were made of…” Rumble trailed off, trying to find the right words. After a few moments he shrugged. “It looked like a bunch of building blocks.”

“...Say what?”

On a circular mountain overlooking a forest, two Digimon stood near the entrance to a cave. They appeared to be a hybrid of a feline and a rabbit. Their heads resembled that of a mountain lion, but they had long ears stretching outwards. They stood about two feet tall on their hind legs, and their fur bordered between a faded blue and light grey. Their forelegs each sported three black claws. The ends of their tails were wrapped in three small leather belts.

As they stared out into the forest below, one of them turned towards the other. “Hey,” he said.

The other one turned towards his friend. “Hmm?” he asked.

“You ever wonder why we’re here?”

“It’s one of life’s greatest mysteries, isn’t it?”

“That’s not what I meant! We are not having that conversation again!”

“Alright, sorry. Geez.”

“No, I meant why are we standing out here doing nothing? We could be back inside playing dice with the others.”

“Because, a couple of us have to be standin’ guard out here at all times. And right now, it’s our shift.”

“Stand guard? That would imply that there’s something to guard against. And let me tell ya something, there ain’t anything we should be worried about. Primary Village is miles away from here. And even if they knew where we were, the Digimon there are too weak to make it through the forest, never mind take us on.”

“Even so, if someone does have the guts to try and hit this place, I’d rather have someone out here who can sound the alarm. Plus, someone has to be here in case any new deliveries show up.” A distant buzzing brought an end to the conversation. The Digimon looked up to see a squadron of three Flymon approaching. “Speak of the devil…”

The other Digimon turned into the cave. “Hey, wake up! We’ve got another delivery!”

As the Flymon drew closer, four more of the feline-rabbit Digimon emerged from the cave. They lingered near the entrance, giving room for the massive insect Digimon to land. “Hello Gazimon,” one of the Flymon said. “Busy day today?”

“Hahaha...shut up,” one of the Gazimon guards replied. “So, what do you have today?”

“To be honest, I’m not quite sure. I’ve never seen these things before.” The Flymon squadron leader nodded to the other two. They dropped the two creatures they were carrying. They both had four legs and were around the same size. One of them was grey with a long silver mane tied in a ponytail. Her tail was also silver. She wore blue glasses and a turquoise pearl necklace. She was also scared out of her wits, which wasn’t a rare sight to the Gazimon.

The other one was bright brown and had two alternating shades of light and dark pink in her mane and tail, both of which were cut short. This one didn’t seem scared, but instead met the Gazimon’s curious gaze with a glare.

One of the Gazimon walked up to the gray creature. “What in Azulongmon’s name are you supposed to be?” he asked. The creature only shook; taking small, rapid breaths. Seeing as he wasn’t getting a response from her, he turned to the other one, getting close to her face. “What about you? Can you talk?”

The creature stared at him for a few moments before spitting directly into his eye. “Aww gross!” One of the Gazimon behind him said. “Your mouth was open!”

The Gazimon guard wiped the saliva from his face and glared at the creature, who had a smirk on her face. “Oh, you think you’re funny eh?” He turned towards his comrades, some of which were trying to stifle their own laughter. “Toss in these two with the others in Group Five.” He then turned to the Flymon. “And you three, buzz off!”

The Flymon leader stared at him for few moments. “Wow...first time I’ve ever heard that one,” he said, deadpan. “Come on guys, lets go.” And with that, the Flymon took off into the forest.

Two Gazimon flanked each of the creatures, each one grabbing a foreleg. They dragged them into the cave, the captives kicking and screaming.

As the shouting died out, the Gazimon looked out towards the forest. As he looked around, he spotted a small patch of red and white amongst the greenery. He brought a claw to his face, making sure it was clear of saliva, and focused on that spot again. There was nothing there. He let out a long sigh. “When’s the end of our shift?”

Apple Bloom and the rest of the group found themselves in an open field, heading towards a collection of structures. Following Rumble’s lead, the group left the jungle behind them in the hopes that this “village” that he saw would be able to help them. As they drew closer to their goal, they came across a railroad track. The track seemed to lead from somewhere in the forest out into the plains. What grabbed everypony’s attention however, was the railroad crossing right in front of them.

“Okay, who’s idea was this?” Diamond Tiara asked. “Who puts a railroad crossing out in the middle of nowhere?”

“Yeah, I thought these were installed in city streets,” Rumble said. “Why put one in a spot where there’s no traffic?”

The steady sound of bells ringing caused everyone to look up. The red lights on the signs flashed, and the yellow and black striped safety barriers were lowered. As the bells rang, everyone glanced up and down the track. “So...where’s the train?” Apple Bloom asked. A clanking sound made everyone look right, towards the forest. Apple Bloom put a hoof above her eyes, squinting into the forest. The steady clicky-clack sound grew in intensity, but no one could find its source.

The sound finally reached a crescendo, bringing with it a rumbling noise that often accompanied moving train cars. A small gust of wind followed in the vehicle’s wake, sending dandelion seeds and loose grass airborne. Despite all the indications that a train was crossing, one key factor seemed to be missing.

“Um...does anypony actually see the train?” Sweetie Belle asked. Everypony shook their heads. Sweetie Belle picked up a stone with her magic, and chucked it above the safety barrier. Sure enough, right after it sailed over the striped piece of wood, it ricocheted off of something with a loud CLANG, and came to rest beside her hoof.

For the next couple of minutes, everyone stood still as the invisible train ran it’s course. Eventually, the rumbling began to fade out, the safety barriers lifted, and the warning bells stopped chiming. Apple Bloom turned her head left, following the noises made by the transparent transport. Just before the sound faded out of existence, everyone heard a couple blows from a train whistle. Apple Bloom stared down the tracks. “Okay…”

“Yeah...that just happened,” Rumble said, crossing the railroad.

“Well, I don’t know about anypony else, but that was the last thing I expected to see today,” Scootaloo said.

“But we couldn’t see it Scootaloo,” Guilmon said. “How can you expect to see something that you can’t see?”

Scootaloo chuckled. “Fair point.”

As everyone crossed the railroad, the distant structures became more clear. Several large, colorful blocks were stacked to resemble buildings. Some of the blocks had pictures of animals, smiling faces, flowers, or numbers. Unfortunately, a wooden wall surrounding the village restricted their view to the higher portions of these structures.

“I’ll be honest Rumble,” Diamond Tiara started. “When you said that the village looked like a bunch of building blocks, I thought the humidity was getting to you. Now that I’m looking at it though…” she trailed off.

“Yeah, this kinda looks like something you would find in a baby’s room,” Sweetie Belle said, looking at the colorful towers. “Except, you know...it would be a whole lot smaller.” Her gaze drifted down to the wall obstructing their view of the rest of the village. Several logs were planted into the ground, the tops of each log sharpened to a point. A large wooden gate stood at the center of the wall, flanked by two wooden lookout towers.

Apple Bloom led the group towards the gate, spurred on by hope and determination. As soon as they got within a few feet of the gate however, a voice shouted “ROCK FIST!”. A large rock smashed itself into the ground in front of Apple Bloom, causing her to leap backwards with a yelp. She looked up at the lookout towers. “Hey! What gives?” she shouted.

A rock-like Digimon stepped into view from atop one of the lookout towers. “Consider that your one warning shot!” he said. Another one appeared in the second tower, and several more appeared along the wall.

As Apple Bloom backed up to the rest of the group, Rumble aimed his device’s analyzer at one of the rock Digimon.

Name: Gotsumon
Level: Rookie
Attribute: Data
Attacks:
Rock Fist
Crazy Crusher

“What’s the matter?” one of the Gotsumon smirked. “Didn’t think we would be ready this time?”

“Hold on a minute,” Apple Bloom said. “We don’t want any trouble. We just—”

“What’s going on here?” another voice shouted. A small, four legged Digimon emerged from behind the Gotsumon in the right watchtower. He had a thick coat of red fur with dark blue flame-like accents. It’s nine tails resembled feathers, almost like a peacock.

“Caught a couple of wannabe trespassers here Elecmon.” The Gotsumon replied.

Scootaloo consulted her analyzer.

Name: Elecmon
Level: Rookie
Attribute: Data
Attacks:
Super Thunder Strike
Lightning Knife

“Is that so?” Elecmon asked before shooting a glare at the ponies below. “Who are you? And what do you want?”

“M-my name’s Apple Bloom,” Apple Bloom said. “And we need help, ya see some of our friends were—”

“Stop!” The Gotsumon in the left tower shouted. “We already know why you’re here.”

“Ya do?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Yeah, and let me tell you something. We’re not falling for another sob story!”

“What?!”

“How many more were you planning on taking this time? Twenty, thirty? What do you want with them?”

“Wha-what are you talkin’ about?”

“Don’t you play stupid with me! Do I look dumber than a box of rocks?”

“Well—” Diamond Tiara started, but was interrupted by a light smack in her side. She looked to her right to see Scootaloo, rapidly shaking her head.

Throughout the exchange, Elecmon studied the collection of ponies and Digimon below with narrowed eyes. As he scanned them, gauging their reactions, his gaze lingered on the device on Apple Bloom’s foreleg. His eyes widened as he noticed similar devices on the other ponies.

“Alright, I’ve had enough of this!” the Gotsumon in the right tower declared. “You have five seconds to turn around, and start running back the way you came! Do me a favor though. When you get back to your masters, tell them to send someone a little more impressive next time.”

“Wait! You’ve got it all wrong!” Apple Bloom said as the Gotsumon along the wall took position. “Just-just listen to us for a second. Please!”

“Time’s up!” The Gotsumon reached behind their heads. “ROCK FI—”

“Wait!” Elecmon shouted. All of the Gotsumon stopped their attack, turning to Elecmon in confusion. “Hold on a minute.” He turned to Apple Bloom. “And you, stay right there!” And with that, he lept down from atop the tower, making his way toward the group.

As Elecmon got closer, Apple Bloom tried to slow the steady pounding in her chest. But knowing that a small army of Digimon were itching for an excuse to pummel them with rocks, this was easier said than done.

Elecmon stopped a few feet away from Apple Bloom, standing up on his hind legs. “You said you’re name was...Apple Bloom, right?” he asked. Apple Bloom nodded her head. Elecmon looked down to her foreleg. “May I ask where you got that?” Elecmon asked, pointing to the device on her.

Apple Bloom glanced at the device. “Uh...we found ‘em in an abandoned shack.”

“And you decided to just help yourselves to them?”

“Well, not exactly,” Apple Bloom answered. “We were just lookin’ at ‘em when they sorta...attached themselves to us.”

“They...attached themselves to you?” Elecmon asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah, I know it sounds crazy. But it’s the truth.”

“Hmmm…” Elecmon looked to the Digimon that stood close to Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. He looked to Guilmon, who seemed to be making an effort to avoid eye contact with Elecmon. He looked back to Apple Bloom. “And where are you from?”

“Well...we’re from Equestria. We’re from another world.”

“I see…” Elecmon looked at the group of ponies for a few more seconds before turning to the wall. “Gotsumon, open the gates!”

The Gotsumon on the right watchtower looked back at Elecmon with wide eyes. “Are...are you sure about this sir?” he asked. “Because last time a group of strangers came here, they—”

“I know!” Elecmon interrupted. “Please, open the gates.”

The Gotsumon looked from Elecmon to the group of ponies. “Alright,” he relented, before turning around and walking out of sight.

Elecmon turned back to the group. “Please, accept my apologies. Recent events have put everyone here a bit...on edge.” Looking back, he saw the uncertain looks of Scootaloo and Diamond Tiara. “Try to understand, we’re just trying to protect the village.”

“It’s alright,” Apple Bloom said, putting a hoof up.

A couple of clicks and a long creaking noise reminded Elecmon of the opening gate. “Please, follow me,” he said.

As everyone filed in through the gate, Scootaloo couldn’t help but eye the Gotsumon on the watchtowers. This did not go unnoticed, as one of them pointed two fingers at it’s eyes, then pointed to Scootaloo. She tore her gaze away from the guards, following her friends and taking in the sights of the village.

She could see that most of the buildings in the village were made of giant, felt children’s building blocks. They also passed by a couple of trees with toys hanging off them like fruit. The ground was a vibrant green with a plaid pattern. Looking down at her hooves, Scootaloo could feel them sink slightly into the ground. It felt like walking on a giant bed. She gave a small experimental jump, landing on all fours. Instead of landing though, she bounced off the ground, flailing her legs as she flew into the air and landed on her back.

Everypony looked back as Scootaloo dusted herself off. “Hey guys, check this out,” she said, taking a few steps back. She ran a few feet before bouncing off the ground, doing a frontflip, and landing on all four hooves right next to Sweetie Belle. “Nailed it!” she smirked.

Sweetie Belle looked down, doing a couple of bounces herself. “Cool, it’s like a trampoline,” she said with a smile.

Elecmon watched the energetic fillies, a soft chuckle escaping his lips. He led the group up a small hill overlooking a large open space. Most of the space was occupied by several small Digimon, running around and playing. However, everyone could also see several large eggs and cribs scattered around the village. “Welcome to Primary Village,” said Elecmon.

Everypony was silent as Elecmon led them down the hill. “This place looks like a giant nursery,” Sweetie Belle said as they passed by a few cradles.

“An astute observation little one,” Elecmon said. “You see, this is the place where all Digimon are born.”

“Really?” Sweetie Belle looked to a patch of eggs near the cradles. “So...Digimon come from eggs then?”

“Hold on,” Diamond Tiara said. “When you say all Digimon are born here, do you mean all the Digimon on this island?”

“No,” Elecmon replied. “I mean ALL Digimon. Whether they live here on File Island or across the sea, every Digimon comes from here.”

Everypony looked to Elecmon with gaping mouths and wide eyes. “No way,” Scootaloo whispered. “Really?”

“Mmmhmm,” Elecmon nodded. “It’s for that reason that many a Digimon often refer to this place as The Village of Beginnings.”

“Wow,” Rumble said. As he looked to the patch of eggs nearby, he noticed the one closest to him was wobbling back and forth. “Hey, I think this one’s hatching!”

The other ponies rushed over, crowding around Rumble. The Digimon lingered behind them, watching as a crack appeared on the egg’s shell. “Oh my gosh…” Sweetie Belle whispered, her smile stretching from ear to ear.

As the egg continued to shake and crack, small pieces of the shell began to fall off. Eventually a small, white slime creature burst from the top of the egg. The creature looked at everyone with it’s small black eyes, and smiled.

“Awww…” Apple Bloom gushed.

“I know,” Sweetie Belle said, her hooves to her cheeks. “It’s so cute.”

“It’s a Poyomon,” Palmon said with a smile. “Hey there little guy.”

Rumble glanced to Elecmon. “So, do you need help finding a crib for the little guy?”

“Hmm?” Elecmon looked at Rumble. “Oh, no thank you. That usually takes care of itself.”

“Wait, what?” Rumble asked. “What do you mean by—”

The egg burst into a small cloud of smoke, causing everyone to jump back. When the smoke cleared, the egg was gone. In its place was a crib identical to all the others in the village, a still smiling Poyomon resting inside.

As everyone stared with slack jaws, Scootaloo broke the silence. “Okay...that was kinda cool,” she said.

“Well, I’m glad you all got to witness that,” Elecmon said. “But if you all could please follow me.”

The group followed Elecmon to a large, two story cabin in the center of the village. He brought them to a playroom with several bean bag chairs, cushions, and toys laying around. “Come on in, make yourselves comfortable,” he said. While everyone moved some of the bean bag chairs into a semi-circle, Elecmon poked his head out into the hallway. “Bearmon! Bearmon are you in here?” he called out.

After a few moments, a Digimon with thick, black fur came around the corner. He stood on two big feet, and was only slightly taller than Elecmon on his hind legs. He had several blue leather belts wrapped around his paws, and one strapped diagonally across his body. He also wore a backwards baseball cap with two slits for his ears. The word “BEARS” was printed on the back of the hat. “Yeah, what is it Elecmon?” he replied in a slightly high-pitched voice.

“A Poyomon just hatched nearby,” Elecmon said, pointing to the front entrance. “Do you think you can get some milk for him?”

“Sure thing,” Bearmon nodded. He began to turn around to go back down the hall, but stopped when he noticed the occupants of the room. He stared at the ponies and Digimon as they sat down on the bean bag chairs and cushions.

Rumble turned to the doorway, seeing Bearmon standing there. “Um...hi,” he said, waving to him.

Bearmon gave a small smile and a weak wave before walking down the hall.

Rumble slowly lowered his foreleg. “Did I do something wrong?” he asked.

“No, not at all,” Elecmon said, walking towards the group. “Bearmon’s...a little shy around strangers.” He took a seat in front of the group. “Now then, I believe proper introductions are in order. I’m Elecmon, as you’ve probably guessed by now. I am the guardian and caretaker of Primary Village.”

“So, you take care of all those baby Digimon?” Sweetie Belle asked. “That must be a full time job.”

Elecmon laughed. “You have no idea. But I don’t handle it by myself all the time. A few Digimon like Bearmon volunteer to stay in the village and help run things.”

Apple Bloom smiled. “Well, I’m Apple Bloom. And these are my friends Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Diamond Tiara, and Rumble.” she said, pointing to the respective ponies.

“A pleasure to meet all of you,” Elecmon smiled. “Now tell me, what brings you to Primary Village?”

Apple Bloom recounted the events on how they were trying to get to Infinity Mountain, how Babs Seed and Silver Spoon got abducted, and how they found their way to the village.

“I see…” Elecmon said, putting a paw to his chin. “And you’re certain that it was some Flymon who took them?”

Apple Bloom nodded.

“Giant bees with big purple wings and mouths filled with teeth…” Diamond Tiara shuddered. “Kind of hard to forget what that looks like.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Rumble spotted Bearmon peeking around the doorway, a baby bottle in his hand. Realizing he was spotted, Bearmon disappeared around the corner, the sound of a door opening and closing announcing his exit.

“Do you know anything about them?” Scootaloo asked.

Elecmon looked down. “Unfortunately, yes.” He walked over to a window looking out towards the village. “You see, about a month ago a group of Gazimon came here. They were tired, and one of them was hurt pretty bad. I invited them into the village, and patched up the wounded one as best I could. They told me that they were foraging in the forest when they got attacked by an angry Monochromon. I felt bad for them, and offered to let them stay the night.”

Elecmon tensed up, and began shaking. “The next morning, they were gone. And...several Digi-Eggs were missing.” As Elecmon continued to shake in anger, his fur began to bristle, and a few bolts of electricity jumped across his body. “How...how could I have been so stupid?! Monochromon are normally docile Digimon! If I had realized that sooner then maybe…”

Elecmon then remembered he wasn’t alone in the room, and to have a breakdown now would be ill-advised. Taking a moment to compose himself, he turned back to see everyone staring at him in silence. “Sorry,” he said. “I’m sworn to protect this village and all its inhabitants with my life. And to have this happen right under my nose—”

“It’s okay,” Sweetie Belle interrupted.

“Well, a few days later, another pack of Gazimon tried getting in using similar tactics,” Elecmon continued. “But I wasn’t taking any chances, so I told them to leave. When they tried to force their way in, I sent them packing. About a week later though, the village was attacked. A much larger pack of Gazimon tried to rush in and take as many Digimon as they could. I held most of them off, but then a swarm of Flymon came and started snatching them while I was distracted.”

“After that, I knew that I had to take extra precautions to protect the village,” Elecmon said. “Fortunately, a few Rookie level Digimon volunteered to stay after the attacks. And some friends of mine heard about what happened, and came all the way from their village in Fossil Valley, on the eastern side of the island.”

“Wow,” said Palmon. “They came all that way to help? Who are they?”

“The Gotsumon at the gate,” Elecmon said.

“Oh, the ones who almost clobbered us with rocks?” Diamond Tiara grumbled.

“Yes, they can be a bit...bullheaded at times. But they have hearts of gold underneath them.” Elecmon said, rubbing the back of his head. “Anyway, we worked to make this village more secure. They helped build the wall outside the village, and have managed to repel a couple of small attacks.”

“But, why are they takin’ baby Digimon?” Apple Bloom asked. “And for that matter, where are they takin’ them?”

Elecmon looked down. “I don’t have the faintest idea as to why. And as far as where they are, a couple Digimon are looking all over for them. I would like to send out more, but I don’t want to risk lowering our defenses too much. Not to mention most of the Digimon are too scared to leave.”

Elecmon let out a light chuckle. “Kind of funny considering how some Digimon would try to leave before they reached Rookie level.”

“What do you mean?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Well, the Digimon who are born here usually stay until they digivolve to their Rookie forms.” Elecmon explained. “This way, they’re strong enough to make it on their own. But, some Digimon decide to leave the village while they’re still In-Training.”

“You mean they run away?” asked Apple Bloom. “Why would they do that?”

“I’m sure they have their reasons,” Elecmon replied. “But if you’re really curious you could just ask them. After all, two such Digimon are right here in the room.” Elecmon glanced towards Guilmon, who found the walls to be very interesting.

After studying the various painted clouds and rainbows on the playroom walls for several moments, Guilmon could still feel Elecmon’s piercing gaze. Guilmon turned to see Scootaloo at his side, who’s confused expression morphed into one of realization and disbelief. Steeling himself for the inevitable, Guilmon lifted his head to meet Elecmon’s disapproving gaze. Giving a sheepish smile, he gave Elecmon a small wave. “Hi Elecmon,” he said.

“Mmmhmm,” Elecmon nodded. “Thought it was you.”

“Guilmon…you ran away?” Scootaloo asked. Guilmon slowly nodded his head.

“Yep, he was still Gigimon when he disappeared one night,” Elecmon said. “Along with a certain Upamon.”

Apple Bloom’s eyes widened. She looked to her side to find Armadillomon trying to curl up into his shell. “You too?” she asked.

Armadillomon looked up at Apple Bloom with a light chuckle. “Um...maybe?”

“But, why?” Apple Bloom asked. “Why would you wanna run away?”

“To be honest, it wasn’t one hundred percent intentional.”

“Say what?”

“Yeah, I was just followin’ Gigimon. I’ll admit I didn’t really know him that well. We played with each other a couple of times, but that was about it. Anyway, one night I woke up and found him wanderin’ to the outskirts of the village. I barely saw him when he left the village and went into the jungle, but I chased after him."

Armadillomon closed his eyes, chuckling to himself. "In hindsight, leaving the village for the first time in the dark probably wasn't the best idea. I searched for the better part of an hour...then I realized I had no idea where I was, or how to get back to the village.”

“So you didn’t wanna leave the village? You just ended up gettin’ lost lookin’ for a friend?”

“Well, I had been debatin’ on leavin’ for awhile, but could never really muster the nerve to do it. After losin’ Gigimon in the jungle though…”

Scootaloo turned to Guilmon. “But why did you leave?”

Guilmon sighed. “I don’t know. I guess I just needed to leave. I was never able to digivolve for a while, and...that scared me. I thought I would never be strong enough to see the world outside the village. So one night I decided I wouldn’t wait anymore, and I left.”

Scootaloo gave a small smile. Scared that you would never be like everyone else huh? That you would never find out what makes you different? she thought. She glanced down to her Cutie Mark. I've been there too...

“Well, regardless of the reasons, I’m glad to see you two are safe,” Elecmon said, before turning to the ponies and Palmon. “As for the rest of you, you’re welcome to stay as long as you need to. Of course, I’ll have to ask that you help take care of the Digimon here. In return, I’ll do whatever I can to help you find your friends.”

“Thank you so much Elecmon,” Sweetie Belle said, giving a small bow.

“We appreciate your hospitality,” Apple Bloom said. “But can I ask you somethin’?”

“Of course,” Elecmon nodded.

“Why did you let us into the village?” Apple Bloom asked. “You just finished tellin’ us how you were none too keen on lettin’ others in, given everything that happened.” Apple Bloom lifted her foreleg, showing her device. “And ya seemed pretty interested in these.”

Elecmon’s gaze drifted down to the device in question. “Yes, you’re right. Uh...do you mind if I see that for a second?”

Apple Bloom looked down at her foreleg. Ever since they first arrived in the Digital World, the thought of taking the thing off never crossed her mind. Upon closer inspection, the device’s strap was similar to that of a watch. She unbuckled the strap and hoofed it over to Elecmon, who took it gingerly.

“And your missing friends have these as well?” Elecmon asked, his gaze never leaving the device.

“Yeah,” Apple Bloom nodded.

Elecmon inspected the device. “Wow, it looks almost exactly like his…” he mumbled to himself.

Apple Bloom tilted her head. “What was that?”

Elecmon looked up. “Uh...nothing,” he shook his head, handing Apple Bloom the device back. “Do you...actually know what those are?”

Apple Bloom looked up as she strapped the device back on. “Not really.”

Diamond Tiara leaned forward. “Why? Do...do you know?”

All eyes were on Elecmon, who had a paw to his chin. Where to begin? he thought. He looked up to the group. “Well, you see—”

The sound of a door slamming open snapped Elecmon out of his lecture. “ELECMON!”

Elecmon ran to the doorway. “Bearmon, what’s wrong?” His eyes went wide. “Bring him in here!”

Bearmon came into the room, a red and white bird-like Digimon leaning on his shoulder. Diamond Tiara got up from her bean bag chair, allowing Bearmon to gently lower the Digimon onto it. As the exhausted Digimon tried to catch its breath, Diamond Tiara pulled up her analyzer.

Name: Hawkmon
Level: Rookie
Attribute: Free, Data
Attacks:
Feather Strike
Beak Pecker

“Um...excuse me,” Diamond Tiara said. “Are you okay?”

Hawkmon looked up with a smile. “Oh, don’t worry about me dear,” he said, speaking with a pretentious accent, coming across as a gentlecolt. “I’m just...a bit winded...that’s all.”

“A bit winded?” Elecmon asked. “Forgive me Hawkmon, but you look like you barely managed to escape a twister. Where were you?”

Bearmon came in behind them, offering Hawkmon a glass of water. He took a few sips before handing it back to Beamon. “Thank you Bearmon,” he said, before turning to Elecmon. “Well, I was out looking for some more fruit like you asked me to. I was around the edge of the jungle when I spotted some Flymon carrying a couple of strange creatures.” He looked around at the ponies in the room. “Actually...they looked a bit like them.”

Apple Bloom rushed up to Hawkmon. “Did you see where they went? Where did they take them?!”

“Whoa there cowgirl,” Diamond Tiara said, putting a hoof in front of her. “Give him some air, alright?”

“Well, to answer your question, yes,” Hawkmon said in between breaths. “I followed them to Mt. Panorama. They dropped them off at a cave entrance on the southwestern side of the mountain. I suspect that’s where they’ve been taking the Digimon over the past few weeks.”

“Mt. Panorama?” Elecmon asked. “They’ve been right under our noses all this time?!”

“Wait, what’s this Mt. Panorama?” Scootaloo asked.

Elecmon walked over to a window. “You can barely see it from here. But it’s a circular mountain located near the base of Mt. Infinity.”

Scootaloo trotted over to where Elecmon was standing. Sure enough, she could see a mountain that looked like a couple of inner tubes stacked on top of each other to form a grass covered dome. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go get our friends back!” Scootaloo said.

“Um, Scootaloo,” Diamond Tiara said. “I don’t think Hawkmon can get very far like this. He needs some rest.”

“Why do we need Hawkmon?” Scootaloo asked.

“He’s the only one who knows where the cave is,” Apple Bloom replied.

Scootaloo opened her mouth to say something, but then realized Apple Bloom was right. She looked back to see Hawkmon trying to get up out of the bean bag chair.

“Nonsense,” Hawkmon said. “It’s not that far. I’m sure I can...GAH!” Hawkmon winced as he grabbed his right wing. “Okay...nevermind. I need to sit down for a little while.”

Sweetie Belle looked from Hawkmon to Mt. Panorama with uncertainty. “Do...do you really think we can rescue them?” she asked.

Palmon walked up behind her, gently putting an arm on her back. “Of course,” Palmon said. “It won’t be easy, but I’m sure the nine of us can pull it off.”

“M-make that ten.” Everyone turned around to see Bearmon, who barely said that above a whisper. Realizing he was in the spotlight, Bearmon grew a bit pale. Swallowing his anxiety, he stood up straight and put on a brave face. “I’m going with you!”

Elecmon looked at him, mouth agape. “Bearmon, are...are you sure?”

Bearmon nodded. “Those Digimon took my friend. I was too weak to do anything back then, but now...now I have a chance to do something about it.”

Elecmon looked from the group of ponies to Bearmon. He stared at Bearmon for a few moments before shrugging. “All right.”

“I’ve made up my mind Elecmon! Nothing you say is gonna stop—” Bearmon started before realizing what Elecmon said. His face softened into one of disbelief. “What?”

“You’re a Rookie level Digimon now Bearmon. You’re strong enough to decide for yourself. And if you think that helping these children is the best course of action, then you should listen to your heart.”

A smile etched itself onto Bearmon’s face. “Thank you.”

A quiet groan brought everyone’s focus back to Hawkmon, who was massaging his wing. Diamond Tiara trotted up to him. “It’s not strained or anything, is it?”

“No, just sore,” Hawkmon assured her. “I guess I was flying harder than I thought.”

“Maybe some ice will help?” Diamond Tiara offered.

“How about some chocolate milk?” Rumble asked.

Scootaloo turned to Rumble. “Chocolate milk? How’s that supposed to help him?”

“Sometimes when my brother comes home from working out, he pours himself a glass of chocolate milk,” Rumble explained. “He told me that it helps rebuild muscles after exercising.”

Bearmon put a finger to his chin. “I think we have the stuff to make some chocolate milk in the kitchen.”

Concern flashed across Elecmon’s face. “If you’re doing anything in the kitchen, then I need to supervise. I’m not having a repeat of the smoothie incident!” Bearmon rubbed the back of his head.

“You know what? A glass of chocolate milk sounds good right about now,” Sweetie Belle said. “Do you think I could have one too?”

“Sure,” Rumble said. “Anyone else?” Everyone in the room raised a hoof, hand, or paw. “Okay then, ten glasses of chocolate milk coming right up.”

As Elecmon lead Bearmon and Rumble to the kitchen, Rumble tapped Bearmon on the shoulder. “Um...thank you for offering to help us. You’re very brave.”

Bearmon blushed. “Oh...I’m not that brave. But you’re welcome.”

Rumble smiled and held up a hoof. “I’m Rumble, by the way.”

Bearmon smiled as he took his hoof and shook it. “I’m Bearmon.”

Meanwhile in the playroom, Sweetie Belle looked out the doorway. “You think they’ll need a bit more help? Maybe I can—”

“NO!” Apple Bloom and Scootaloo shouted, their eyes wide.

“Uh, I mean...I reckon they’ve got it under control,” Apple Bloom said, laughing sheepishly.

“Okay…” Sweetie Belle relented.

Apple Bloom let out a sigh of relief before turning her gaze back towards the window. Felling a poke to her side, she looked down to see Armadillomon smiling up at her.

“Don’t worry, we’ll get them back,” Armadillomon assured her.

“I know,” Apple Bloom sighed. “It’s just that...I can’t help but think about what my cousin’s probably goin’ through right now.”

“We’re talking about Babs Seed here,” Scootaloo said. “She’s a tough pony Apple Bloom. She can handle anything.”

Babs Seed and Silver Spoon were dragged through a dark cave, illuminated only by the flickering light of a few torches. As the Gazimon dragged them deeper into the mountain, they began to pass by a few cells built into the rock face. A railway stretched through the tunnel, a few carts with cages sitting on the tracks. Babs Seed tried to look behind her to see where they were going. Whenever she turned her head though, she could only see the Gazimon’s gray fur in her peripherals.

After what seemed like an eternity, their captors finally stopped. Babs Seed heard the jingling sound of keys, the clicking of a lock, and the protests of an old iron gate opening. The Gazimon unceremoniously tossed her into a large cell. As she made to get up, she spotted the form of Silver Spoon sailing through the air, landing on top of Babs and knocking the wind out of her. She looked over Silver Spoon to see two of the Gazimon standing near the cell door, the other two standing outside.

“Well, that takes care of that,” one of the Gazimon said, turning to one of his comrades. “Now, where were we? Oh yes, I believe I was about to kick your tail in liar’s dice.”

“Please, that last round was a fluke and you know it!” the other Gazimon replied before turning to walk out of the cell.

Before he could walk out though, his friend put a claw on his shoulder. “Wait, watch this,” he whispered. “Three...two...one…”

A small battle cry echoed throughout the cell as a small blue and white Digimon charged out of the darkness straight towards the Gazimon. When he got within a few feet of the Gazimon, he hopped into the air. The Gazimon, still maintaining eye contact with his friend, smirked and put a claw up, smacking the Digimon out of the air.

“What did I tell ya!” the Gazimon laughed. “You could set a watch to this one.” He walked over to the Digimon, picking him up by his head and looking him in the eye. “You’d think that after five times, you’d at least try something even remotely different.”

“Maybe I will,” the Digimon spat as he flailed his tiny arms and feet. His voice sounded like a young colt, with a slight lisp. “Just put me down and maybe I can show ya!”

The Gazimon rolled his eyes before shaking the Digimon a couple of times. “Let me ask you something. Have you ever heard the definition of insanity?” he asked, looking deep into the small Digimon’s eyes. “Insanity is...when someone does the exact same thing over and over again, expecting a different outcome each time. You see, what you’re doing every time we come down here is the perfect example. You think to yourself: ‘This time, this time I’m gonna get him!’, despite the fact that you never got me the last five times!”

Gazimon sighed. “But hey, as fun as this has been, their comes a point where it starts to get old. You have to face the facts: you’re not getting out of here. Especially if this is your best attempt at an escape. I know that may be hard for you, but if you take some time to actually think about your situation...you’re not even listening to me are you?”

The small Digimon stuck his tongue out, blowing a raspberry.

“Yep, waste of breath,” Gazimon sighed. He then dropped the Digimon and punted him to the two ponies, landing right next to Babs. With that the Gazimon walked out of the cell, locking the door behind them.

Babs Seed gently pushed Silver Spoon up and off of her. She looked over to the small blue Digimon laying face first into the ground. Glancing at the door to make sure the guards were gone, she quietly pulled up her device’s analyzer.

Name: DemiVeemon
Level: In-Training
Attribute: None
Attacks:
Pop Attack

Babs Seed gently picked up the Digimon. “Hey, you alright little guy?” she asked, brushing some dirt off his face.

DemiVeemon looked up at Babs with a smirk. “I’m alright. Those chumps can’t kick to save their life.”

Babs Seed chuckled. This little guy seems stubborn, but he’s definitely got spirit, she thought. A sniffle drew her attention back to Silver Spoon, who was staring at the cell door.

“Any minute now, I’m gonna wake up,” Silver Spoon whispered to herself. “I’m gonna wake up at the campsite. This is all a stress induced dream.”

Babs Seed trotted up to Silver Spoon, putting a hoof on her shoulder. “Hey, Silver Spoon?”

“I’m gonna wake up, I’m gonna wake up…”

Babs Seed got in front of her, putting her hooves on both her shoulders. “Hey, pull yourself together,” she said, gently shaking her.

Silver Spoon stopped her mumbling and stared at Babs. After a long silence, her bottom lip began to quiver. “I...I’m sorry,” she cried. She lunged into Babs’ chest and began sobbing. “I shouldn’t have ran! It’s my fault we’re in this mess!”

Babs Seed, taken aback by the display of emotions from the former bully, gently patted her back. “Hey, I was with everypony else and those creeps still got me. So while it was a bit stupid to run off like that, it ain’t your fault that I’m here too.” Silver Spoon looked up at Babs, tears streaming down her face. “We’ll get outta this, alright?”

Silver Spoon sniffed. “H-How?”

Babs looked down, wracking her brain for an answer. “Don’t bother,” a gruff voice said. Babs looked behind Silver Spoon to find the source. All along the edge of the large circular cell, several small Digimon stared at the new arrivals. All of them had their differences in shapes and colors. But they were all relatively the same size, and were all miserable. The one that spoke was a round, light blue Digimon with ear-like appendages. He glared at them with his narrow, red eyes before speaking again. “No one escapes this place.”

“Not with that kind of attitude, Pagumon!” DemiVeemon piped in.

Pagumon chuckled. “Oh, have I angered the escape artist? Why don’t you go back to your drawing board and concoct another brilliant plan? I know, maybe you can try running at them backwards next time. They’ll never see that coming!”

“Oh, go back to sleep!”

“You know what, maybe I will! Anything beats having to deal with you pests.” And with that, Pagumon hopped back into a corner of the cell before curling up and closing his eyes.

DemiVeemon looked up at the two fillies. “Come on, this way,” he said, before waddling off to another side of the cell. Babs Seed and Silver Spoon followed the little Digimon over to a small pile of straw. On top of it sat a small, cute Digimon with white fur and patches of green on its collarbone, paws, and the tips of its very large ears. To Silver Spoon, he looked like a cross between a small dog and a rabbit.

“Don’t mind Pagumon over there,” the white Digimon said. “He’s just a grump.”

“I could tell,” Babs Seed said, sitting down on the straw.

The white Digimon smiled. “Well, you’ve met DemiVeemon over here,” he said, gesturing to him. “I’m Terriermon.”

While the two Digimon were looking at Babs Seed, Silver Spoon booted up her device’s analyzer.

Name: Terriermon
Level: Rookie
Attribute: Vaccine, Data
Attacks:
Terrier Tornado
Bunny Blast

“I’m Babs Seed, and this is Silver Spoon,” Babs Seed said, gesturing for her to come closer.

Silver Spoon slowly trotted over to them and sat down. “H-hello,” she said with a sniffle.

“Nice to meet you two,” Terriermon said. “Though I wish it was under better circumstances.”

Silence hung over the group like a cloud for several moments. Silver Spoon glanced at the sleeping Pagumon on the far side of the cell, the other Digimon giving him plenty of space. “Is...is it true?” she whispered. “No one ever leaves this place?”

Terriermon looked to Silver Spoon. “Well, no one’s escaped this place...yet. But that’s probably because most of the Digimon here are too weak or scared to try.” He glanced to DemiVeemon. “And this one keeps getting the data kicked out of him whenever he tries to make a run for it.”

“Hey, I almost had him!” DemiVeemon said.

Terriermon gave him a flat look. “Yeah, charging in and screaming at the top of your lungs. Yep, you definitely had the drop on him.”

Terriermon turned back to Silver Spoon. “Although, I wouldn’t quite say no one leaves. Every so often, we see them cart off some of the Digimon further down the tunnels. I don’t know where they go, but we never see them again.”

Terriermon looked to Babs, who had barely suppressed a shiver. “Hey...Babs Seed?” he asked, causing Babs to straighten up. “Forgive me, but I heard you mention some friends earlier. Did they get taken here too?”

“No,” Babs shook her head, before leaning back in surprise. “Hey, wait a second. How did ya hear me from all the way over here?”

Terriermon chuckled. “I can’t help it, I’ve got these big ears,” he said, raising his ears for emphasis. “But more importantly, maybe they’re looking for you. If we’re lucky, they’ll find this place and can finally break us out.”

“But...what if they can’t find us?” Silver Spoon said. “What if they get caught too? What’s going to happen to us?” Tears started forming again in her eyes as she began to shake.

Terriermon walked up to Silver Spoon and put a paw on her foreleg. “Please don’t cry,” he whispered. “I’ll protect you. Everything will be okay.” Silver Spoon turned to look at him, and he gave a small smile. “Moumantai…” he whispered.

Moumantai… Silver Spoon thought to herself. For some reason, that put her mind at ease, at least a little bit. She looked to Babs Seed and DemiVeemon.

“We just gotta have faith that they’ll find us,” Babs Seed said. “Do you believe your best friend is gonna give up looking for you?”

Silver Spoon shook her head. “No, of course not.”

Babs Seed nodded with a small smile, “Then we gotta hold on until they do find us.”

Silver Spoon looked towards the door before laying her head down on her forelegs. “I hope you’re right,” she said. As she stared at the door, her eyelids began to grow heavy. “Please hurry…” she whispered as the fatigue from today’s events beckoned her to sleep.

Chapter 5: Rescue at Mt. Panorama

View Online

CLANG CLANG CLANG

The banging against the cell doors shook Silver Spoon from her light slumber. Her head shot up from its resting place on her forelegs to see two Gazimon standing at the door.

“Alright, you all know the drill!” one of the Gazimon said. “Everyone back against the wall!”

Silver Spoon looked behind her to see Babs Seed, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Beside her, Terriermon and DemiVeemon were quick to get up. “Wha-What’s going on?” Silver Spoon asked, her voice quivering.

“It’s feeding time,” Terriermon said, stepping back to the cave wall. “Just get up and move to the wall. If you don’t, then none of us eat.”

Hearing the urgency in his voice, Silver Spoon got up and scurried over to Terriermon. The Gazimon watched as the last of the Digimon filed along the wall. Satisfied, he turned to his partner with a nod before taking a set of keys out. As he unlocked the door, his gaze never left the occupants of the cell, paying extra attention to DemiVeemon. The door swung open, allowing the other Gazimon to toss a burlap sack into the center of the cell. The door was closed and locked before the sack hit the ground.

Babs Seed looked around the cell. She could see every Digimon in the cell eyeballing the sack and shooting glances to everyone else. As the guards walked out of sight, Terriermon spoke up. “Alright everyone, moumantai,” he said. “I know we’re all hungry, but if we take the time to divvy out the food this time—”

A piece of bread fell out of the mouth of the sack.

Babs Seed remembered going on a field trip to the Manehattan Aquarium with her class and seeing an interesting exhibit about sharks. It talked about how they could smell a drop of blood from up to three miles away, and would occasionally fight over wounded prey. She recalled that exhibit perfectly as the Digimon pounced on the sack of food the moment the bread hit the floor.

“Aw geez, here we go again,” Terriermon sighed before running into the writhing, shouting mass of In-Training Digimon.

Babs Seed felt something pull on her foreleg. She tore her gaze from the spectacle of sheer pandemonium to see DemiVeemon tugging her towards the food. “If we don’t hurry, they’ll scarf it all down before we can get any!” he said.

Babs gave a curt nod, before turning to Silver Spoon. “Come on!” she yelled, before following DemiVeemon. DemiVeemon leapt into the fray, while the two ponies hovered outside, trying to find an opening.

Babs Seed’s attempts to gently move some of the Digimon out of the way were met with hostility. As she continued in her attempts to get near the sack, she managed to catch glimpses of the rapidly dwindling food supply. Gathering her courage, she took a few steps back before charging into the frenzy.

With the strength and finesse of a rhinoceros, Babs pushed her way into the pile. The closer she got to the center, the harder it was to move. She could barely see anything and it took all her strength to hold her position amongst the pouncing, hitting, and biting. Unable to breath or move any further, Babs blindly reached towards the sack. After getting her grip on something solid that didn’t try to bite her, she wiggled her way back out of the frenzy.

Silver Spoon kept looking for a way to the sack from outside. Unable to find a way in, and too scared to enter the fray, she could only watch as they ripped the sack apart. As the frenzy reached its climax, DemiVeemon came flying out of the pile, landing beside Silver Spoon with a small pear in his clutches. Soon afterwards, the Digimon began to disperse.

Babs Seed looked at the remains of the sack as she caught her breath. She looked down at the item she managed to grab, and a hint of a smile graced her face. In her hoof, was a honeycrisp apple.

Silver Spoon trotted up to the remains of the food sack, hoping to find something to eat. A groan coming from nearby grabbed her attention. She looked beside the sack to find Terriermon, who had wrapped his ears tightly around himself like a cocoon. Silver Spoon gently poked him with a hoof. “Terriermon? Are you okay?” she asked.

Terriermon opened his eyes. “I feel like sunshine right now,” he groaned.

Silver Spoon turned to the sack as she heard Terriermon get up and walk back to their corner. She peered into the bag, her heart sinking when she saw it was barren of even crumbs. Hanging her head in defeat, she shuffled her way back to Babs Seed and the others. DemiVeemon was already making quick work of the pear he grabbed. And Babs Seed had already finished half of her apple. Silver Spoon looked at them with more than a hint of jealousy.

A grumbling from Silver Spoon’s stomach made Babs Seed stop herself from taking another bite. She looked at Silver Spoon’s forlorn face, then back down to her apple, a pang of guilt hitting her in the chest.

Silver Spoon felt something gently poke her side. She glanced to her left to see Terriermon, offering a smile and one of two pieces of bread. “It nearly cost me my left arm, but I managed to grab something extra,” Terriermon said.

Silver Spoon gently took the bread as if it were a fragile piece of glass. She looked back to Terriermon and returned the smile. “Thank you,” she whispered before taking a bite out of it. The bread was bland and a little stale, but her hunger outweighed her palate, and the bread was gone in less than a minute. She could see Terriermon was finished as well, and that Babs Seed and DemiVeemon looked ready to eat the cores of their fruit.

Babs Seed put a hoof to her belly as it grumbled, demanding more sustenance. “Is that really all they give you guys?” she asked.

DemiVeemon looked down. “Yeah, they barely give us enough to get through the day.”

“A hungry Digimon is a Digimon that can’t fight,” Terriermon added. “But they clearly want us for something, so they have to feed us a little.”

“That’s…” Babs Seed shook her head. “That’s just horrible.”

“Well, it doesn’t help that someone—” Terriermon shot a glance to Pagumon on the other side of the cell. “Started spreading a rumor that they feed us even less because there’s one Rookie level Digimon in here.”

“You mean you?” Silver Spoon asked. “No one actually believes that, do they?”

“Well, I’m not exactly the most popular one in the cell. So...yeah, they probably do.”

Silence hung over the four captives. In her peripherals, Babs Seed could see some of the other Digimon shooting dirty looks at them, specifically at Terriermon. A glare from Babs Seed though, and they were back to minding their own business. “So...what do we do in the meantime?” she asked.

“Well, we could get to know each other a bit more,” DemiVeemon suggested. “Not much to do in here.”

“Uh...quick question?” Silver Spoon asked, rubbing the back of her head. “What do you do if you have to...use the restroom?”

Terriermon and DemiVeemon shared an awkward glance. “Well, um…” Terriermon trailed off, looking behind Silver Spoon. She followed his gaze to a metal bucket being held up by a stand in a corner of the cell. Given how the other Digimon gave the bucket a wide berth, and the sound of flies hovering near it, it’s purpose seemed pretty clear.

Silver Spoon slowly turned to Babs Seed, who had a sour look on her face. “On second thought...I think I’d rather hold it,” Silver Spoon grimaced. Babs Seed nodded in agreement.

Hawkmon glanced up to the distant Mt. Panorama. “Just a couple of miles left to go.” He looked behind him to see everyone keeping a good pace with him. Turning his gaze back to the woods in front of him, he pressed on. The sound of hoofsteps made him look right to see Diamond Tiara trotting up to him.

“So, you’re sure you saw Silver Spoon and Babs Seed?” Diamond Tiara asked.

Hawkmon sighed. “Yes dear, I’m sure.”

“Are you really—”

“One of them was grey with silver hair and wearing glasses. The other was light brown with a short tail. Both of them had four legs and were about your size.” Hawkmon turned to Diamond Tiara. “As I’ve said the last two times you asked me. Does that sound like them?”

Diamond Tiara looked down. “Yes...sorry. I’m just really worried that—”

Hawkmon draped a wing over her. “It’s okay, you’re concerned for your friends. That’s admirable.”

Diamond Tiara gave a small smile before looking back to the rest of the party. Towards the back, she could see Rumble and Bearmon having a small conversation. “Those two seem to be getting along pretty well,” she said.

Hawkmon followed Diamond Tiara’s gaze. “Yes, quite well,” he smiled before focussing on the trail. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him warm up to someone so quickly, especially a complete stranger.”

“Is that so?”

“Oh yes, he’s usually quite timid. Why, it took almost a week for him to muster the courage to say hi to me when we first met.”

“Really?” Diamond Tiara glanced back to Rumble. “I could almost say the same thing about Rumble.” Diamond Tiara glanced downward. “Though to be fair, me teasing him for being a blank flank probably didn’t do me any favors.”

Before Hawkmon could inquire as to what a “blank flank” was, the sound of a crash echoed from nearby. Everyone stopped dead in their tracks, heads whipping left to right attempting to locate the source. A roar made Hawkmon look towards a hill off the side of the trail. He looked back to the party, motioning for them to follow quietly.

As everyone crept up the hill, the sounds of a fight grew stronger. Apple Bloom hung back for a moment as Armadillomon peeked over the hill. “Well would ya look at that,” Armadillomon said, turning back to Apple Bloom. “Looks like a couple old friends of ours are having a bit of a disagreement.”

Apple Bloom crawled up next to Armadillomon and peered over the hill. In the clearing below them, Kuwagamon and Snimon were in the middle of a battle. The damage to the clearing around them indicated the battle had been raging for quite some time.

Kuwagamon snapped his pincers together and charged at Snimon, who flew to the side to dodge the attack. Kuwagamon clipped the top of a tree before turning around for another attempt.

Snimon stood his ground, lifting up his sickles as they began to glow with pink energy. “TWIN SICKLES!” he shouted, launching two crescents of pink energy towards Kuwagamon.

Undeterred by the attack, Kuwagamon dodged the first crescent with ease. As he altered his course to dodge the second crescent, Snimon made his move. Leaping from the earth, he met Kuwagamon in mid air, giving him a perfect view of Kuwagamon’s underbelly. “GREEN SICKLE CUT!” Snimon shouted as he made a horizontal slash across Kuwagamon.

Kuwagamon roared as Snimon’s attack threw him off course, and the momentum from his charge sent him spiralling into the earth. He skipped across the ground like a stone, tearing it up before skidding to a stop. As he struggled to get up his body began to flicker, becoming pixilated.

Snimon hovered in the air raising both sickles before announcing, “ULTIMATE TWIN SICKLES!” Slashing his sickles in the air, Snimon launched four crescents of pink energy at the fallen Kuwagamon. As each crescent made its mark Kuwagamon’s body became more and more glitched. As the final crescent hit him, Kuwagamon gave one final roar before exploding into thousands of glass-like shards.

Hovering nearby, Snimon spread his arms out triumphantly as he absorbed the shards, which turned blue as they flowed into him. After a few moments the cloud of shards was all but gone. In its place was a pulsating white orb with a thin veil of blue shards orbiting it. The orb flew out of the clearing, soaring over the trees. Snimon leaned his head back to give off a triumphant roar before flying off.

Silence reigned over the clearing. Apple Bloom stared at the battleground with wide eyes. Her mouth agape and her breath caught in her throat. Apple Bloom glanced left to see everypony else just as flabbergasted. Sweetie Belle was giving off small shivers, Diamond Tiara was slowly putting a hoof to her mouth, even Scootaloo was at a total loss for words.

“Did anyone else think that last attack was just a bit...excessive?” Hawkmon asked.

Armadillomon shrugged. “I guess some Digimon wanna finish things off with a bang.” He turned right to see Apple Bloom still staring into the clearing. “Um...Apple Bloom?” he asked, lifting a paw and gently poking her. “Are you alright?”

Apple Bloom snapped out of her trance, turning to Armadillomon. “Am I alright?” she asked. “Did you not see what just happened?”

Hawkmon looked at Apple Bloom with a confused expression. “Well, I do believe that was some sort of territorial dispute. Or it could have been—”

“That ain’t what I meant!” Apple Bloom snapped. “That Digimon was just...was just—”

“Killed,” Rumble finished. He backed away from Bearmon and the other Digimon. “He was just killed, and you’re talking about how it was “excessive”?!”

“I know Kuwagamon came after us before, but that don’t mean he deserved to...die like that!” Apple Bloom said, tears starting to form in her eyes. “He’s gone forever, how can you be so casual about that?!”

Armadillomon stared at Apple Bloom with concern and confusion in equal measures. “Hold up, gone forever? What are you talkin’ about?” After a few moments of silence, his eyes snapped open wide. “Oh...that’s right. I keep forgetting you’re not from around here,” he said, giving a comforting smile. “Kuwagamon just got defeated, yes. But he ain’t “gone” in that sense.”

Apple Bloom blinked. “Wha-whaddya mean?”

“Whenever a Digimon is destroyed, it’s primary data is sent back to Primary Village.” Armadillomon explained.

“Primary...data?” Scootaloo asked.

“You all saw that white light fly off, right?” Bearmon asked, pointing to the horizon. The ponies nodded. “That was Kuwagamon’s DigiCore. It contains a Digimon’s primary data. It’s, uh…” Bearmon twirled his paw in a circle, trying to settle on a word. “It’s soul, in a sense. When it goes back to Primary Village, it’s reformed as a Digi-Egg. The egg eventually hatches and the Digimon begins life again.”

“So…” Sweetie Belle said. “Digimon can never really die?”

“Right,” Palmon said. “As long as our DigiCore remains, we can keep coming back.”

Apple Bloom wiped her eyes and gave a small smile. “Well...that’s a bit of a relief.”

As they made their way back down the hill and back on the trail, the shock from witnessing the previous battle faded. “But...what happened to the rest of him?” Diamond Tiara asked. “Where did the rest of that...stuff go?”

As they started down the trail again, Hawkmon turned back to Diamond Tiara. “Well, Snimon absorbed the rest of Kuwagamon’s data. Whenever a Digimon absorbs the data of another Digimon, they become stronger. Given enough time and data, one can eventually digivolve to a more powerful Digimon.”

Scootaloo glanced to Guilmon. But...Guilmon didn’t absorb any data before he digivolved. Did he? she thought.

“There it is,” Hawkmon said, snapping Scootaloo out of her thoughts. Everyone looked up to see Mt. Panorama in front of them. “Everyone stay low and keep your voices down.”

“Why, what’s wrong?” Sweetie Belle asked. Hawkmon pointed to an outcropping on the mountain, where two small Digimon stood vigilantly before the mouth to a cave. Everyone quickly backed up into the treeline. “Is that where they were taken?” she whispered. Hawkmon nodded.

“Well then what are we waiting for? Let’s get going!” Scootaloo whispered. She began to charge before being stopped by Rumble. “Hey, what gives?”

“We don’t know what we’re getting into here,” Rumble whispered. “We don’t know how many Digimon are in that cave.”

“If we just charge in now, they would have time to shore up any defenses they might have,” Bearmon reasoned. “And better secure everyone they’re holding. Your friends and the Digimon.”

Sweetie Belle nodded. “We need to find a way to get up there quietly.” Sweetie Belle looked at the rocky outcropping, putting a hoof to her chin. “Now...how do you think they got up there in the first place?”

Apple Bloom scanned the mountain side near the outcropping, noting the Gazimon guards. They don’t look like they have wings. she thought. So either they got a lift from someone, or… Her eyes followed a cliff running from the outcropping. It curved around the mountain side until it met something that brought a ghost of a smile to Apple Bloom’s face. Bingo! she thought.

“Everyone, look over there,” Apple Bloom whispered, pointing to the base of the mountain. Everyone followed her hoof to a point that was just out of the guards sight. At the base of the mountain was a switchback trail which zig-zagged up the mountain side up to a cliff. The cliff itself ran around the mountain to where the outcropping was. “It leads right up to the cave entrance!”

“Great, we can take that up the mountain and still get the drop on these goons!” Scootaloo whispered, bearing a cocky grin.

“Alright then,” Hawkmon said. “Just watch where you step, and keep quiet.”

The two Gazimon standing near the cave entrance were bored out of their feline skulls. Ever since the Flymon left a few hours ago, the only thing resembling entertainment for them was the fight between a Kuwagamon and Snimon taking place somewhere in the forest below. Unfortunately the outcropping which they stood on didn’t give them a good view of the fight, only small glimpses. After the Snimon flew away victorious, it was back to watching the same quiet forest.

“Hey,” one of the Gazimon said, turning to his partner.

“What is it?” the other Gazimon groaned, refusing to tear his gaze from the forest.

“You ever wonder why we’re here?”

The other Gazimon slowly turned to his partner, breathing heavily through his nose. He opened his mouth, struggling to from a response to the same stupid question he asked every time they were out here. “You know what?” he asked, deadpan. “I hate you. I just want you to know that I...genuinely despise...your existence right now.”

His partner just stared at him before shrugging. “Well, what did I do?”

The other Gazimon stared at him, mouth agape. He then breathed through his nose, and let out a heavy groan before storming off into the cave.

The remaining Gazimon stared as his partner stomped into the cave. “Hey! What did I do?” Getting no response, he shook his head and turned his gaze back to the forest below.

Scootaloo crept back from around the corner of the rock she was hiding behind, having witnessed the exchange between the two Gazimon. She looked back to see Guilmon just behind her on the cliff, along with the rest of her friends. “Alright, looks like there’s just one right now,” she whispered. “Guilmon, see if you can throw a rock to distract the other one.”

“Okay,” Guilmon nodded before picking up a big rock and creeping over next to Scootaloo. Taking aim, he brought back his arm in a pitch before chucking the rock. Scootaloo and Guilmon watched the rock sail through the air, and winced as it reached its destination with a THUMP. They watched as the Gazimon stumbled for a few seconds before collapsing onto the ground, unconscious.

“That works too...I guess,” Scootaloo said. She looked back and signalled for everyone to move up. Everyone gathered at the mouth of cavern, staring into the foreboding darkness. A chill ran down Scootaloo’s spine as she thought of the Digimon being dragged into this lair, kicking and screaming, not knowing what fate would await them.

“Alright, so what’s the plan?” Rumble asked. “We just wander around and hope we find where they’re keeping Babs Seed and Silver Spoon?”

“Right now I reckon that’s all we can do,” Apple Bloom said as she walked into the cave, everyone filing in behind her.

Sweetie Belle quietly ran up to Apple Bloom, Palmon right at her side. “That’s it?” Sweetie Belle whispered. “There’s gotta be a way to find out where they are.”

“Well what do ya wanna do, ask for directions?” Apple Bloom snapped.

A groan echoed through the tunnel. Everyone stopped to see the other Gazimon guard walking towards the entrance, and towards them. “Look, I’m sorry,” he said, his gaze directed at the floor as he rubbed the back of his head. “It’s been a long day for me, and the last thing I need is for you to go on another philosophical ramble. Everyday we’re stationed together and you ask that question. Sometimes you go so deep into it, and then the next thing I know, I have trouble falling asleep—” He looked up to see the congregation of ponies and Digimon in the tunnel. “Aw...crud!” he said as he turned to make a break for it.

“Oh no you don’t!” Palmon said. She threw her arms forward, launching several purple tendrils from her fingertips. “POISON IVY!”

A few of the tendrils wrapped around the Gazimon’s feet, sending him face first into the ground. The rest of them wrapped around his torso as Palmon reeled him in. The Gazimon tried digging his claws into the earth in an attempt to halt his capture, but only managed to succeed in creating a long scratch in the cave floor. He looked up to find himself face to face with an unhappy Hawkmon.

“Where do you think you’re going in such a hurry?” Hawkmon asked. “Don’t you know it’s rude to just run away from guests without saying hello?”

“Oh, my apologies,” Gazimon smirked as he tried to get up. “If you let me go then I’ll give you a proper greeting you puffed up—” A foot planted firmly in his back granted him a new perspective of the cave floor.

“Thank you Bearmon,” Hawkmon said looking to Bearmon, who gave a small nod. “Well then, seeing as your manners are a lost cause, I’ll cut straight to the point,” he said, turning his attention back to Gazimon. “Where are you keeping the Digimon you took?”

“I’m sorry, but I’m not sure what you mean,” Gazimon replied. “We’re just mining this place for precious metals. I think you have us mixed up with someone else.” He yelped as something grab his ear and pull his head right. He soon found himself staring into the angry orange irises of Apple Bloom.

“Don’t you play dumb with us!” Apple Bloom seethed. “We know you brought my cousin here. Now tell me where she is you varmit!”

“Would you let go of my ears?!” the Gazimon cried. Apple Bloom complied, letting his head fall back to the floor. “Even if what you’re accusing this place of being is true, I wouldn’t tell you anything. And there’s no way you’re gonna make me!” He felt the tendrils holding him shake a little before loosening their grip on him. As the tendrils released him, they left behind a numbing sensation.

Bearmon looked up at Palmon. “What are you doing?” he asked.

“Don’t worry, he’s not going anywhere,” Palmon said. “I can lace my ivy in a paralytic toxin. So, you can take your foot off of him now.”

Bearmon reluctantly lifted his foot off of the Gazimon’s back. Gazimon tried to run, but found his legs refusing to move. As he struggled to escape, Palmon walked in front of him, getting down on her hands and knees and looking him in the eye. Palmon glanced up at everyone else. “You all might want to stand back and plug your noses.”

Everyone looked at Palmon with confusion but gave her some space nonetheless. Palmon looked back down to Gazimon before closing her eyes. The flower on her head began to retreat into itself. As the petals converged onto the pistil, the flower shook ever so slightly, as if it refused to close. Then like a spring releasing tension, the flower reopened.

As Gazimon watched the spectacle, a smirk began to form on his lips. But before he could say anything, his nose twitched and his expression twisted in disgust.

Sweetie Belle watched the writhing Gazimon trying to turn away from Palmon. “Um...Palmon?” Sweetie Belle asked. “What’s the matter with—” Her nostrils twitched as she breathed in one of the most foul odors she ever smelled. “Eww! What is that smell?!” she said, stepping back a few more feet and putting a foreleg up to cover her nose.

“Ugh! Smells like a skunk got into a trash can filled with nothing but two month old cheese!” Scootaloo said through her foreleg.

As everyone resisted the urge to run straight for the cave entrance for the promise of fresh air, Gazimon continued to writhe on the ground. Unable to turn away from Palmon, Gazimon held his breath in an attempt to cease the assault on his olfactory senses. But even when he held his breath, the odor coming from Palmon’s flower would waft straight into his nostrils. After a few more moments his eyes began to water.

“Alright!” Gazimon shouted. “I’ll talk, I’ll talk! Just please, make it stop!”

Palmon got back up and took a deep breath as her flower closed, opening again as she exhaled. She opened her eyes and began fanning the smell away with her hand. Eventually she waved the rest of the group over once most of the stench had been cleared.

“What was that?” Sweetie Belle asked as she waved her foreleg in front of her nose.

“It’s a defense mechanism I have,” Palmon shrugged. “Helps keep away large Digimon.”

“Well it’s an effective one, I’ll give you that!” Diamond Tiara said, still plugging her nose.

“Ugh,” Gazimon groaned. “I’m not gonna be able to smell anything for a week now!”

“Now, where did you take the two ponies you captured earlier today?” Palmon asked.

Gazimon looked up at Palmon in confusion. “Ponies? Is that what they were?” He glanced to the other fillies and colt in the tunnel. “I had a feeling they weren’t Digimon, but we tossed them in with the others just in case.”

“Where are they?” Apple Bloom growled.

Gazimon motioned his head further down the tunnel. “Keep going down this tunnel until you hit the split at the end. The tunnel on the right will take you to the holding cells. Just follow the minecart tracks.”

“Alright,” Apple Bloom said before turning to everyone else. “Let’s get movin ya’ll!”

“Before we do, I have a few questions,” Bearmon said. “Why do all this? Why abduct In-Training Digimon?”

“Hey, I don’t do the snatching!” Gazimon said. “I just help guard the place.”

“Well, what do you do to them here?”

“Not much really. We’re just told to keep them here until the boss tells us to ship a few of them out down the tunnel,” Gazimon looked down. “Of course, every now and again the boss likes to pick on some of the smaller Digimon. Don’t know why; I guess it’s how he gets his kicks…”

Bearmon growled, his paw clenched in a fist. He grabbed Gazimon and hoisted him up to face level. “Where does that tunnel lead?” he growled.

“I-I think it cuts through Infinity Mountain,” Gazimon stuttered. “I heard a few of the them say something about a place in Overdell.”

“You “think” it goes to Overdell?” Hawkmon asked.

“Look, I’ve never been down that tunnel before!” Gazimon said. “And quite frankly, I’d rather keep it that way. There’s something about that tunnel that just gives me the—”

A distant murmuring from further down the tunnel made Gazimon look up. “HELP!” he shouted. “INTRUDERS! INTRUD—”

A punch to the back of the head, courtesy of Bearmon, knocked Gazimon unconscious. Everyone stared down the tunnel, not daring to move a muscle. “You think they heard that?” Sweetie Belle whispered.

A small group of Gazimon emerged from the darkness, charging straight towards the ponies. “Yeah, probably,” Diamond Tiara answered.

“So much for keeping a low profile,” Hawkmon said, stepping in front of everyone while reaching up to the feather in his headband. “FEATHER STRIKE!” He shouted as he threw the feather like a boomerang. The feather struck two of the Gazimon in front, causing them to stumble backwards. As the feather spun back towards Hawkmon, he reached up to catch it before placing it back in his headband. He looked to the Digimon behind him. “Feel free to jump in at any time!”

Babs Seed stared at the cell door with intense curiosity. Her ears were erect and swiveled forward as she walked towards the cell door.

“What is it?” Silver Spoon asked.

Babs Seed glanced back to her. “Thought I heard somethin’,” she said before looking out past the iron bar door. “Sounded like someone shouting.”

“Probably just the Gazimon in another argument,” DemiVeemon said. “They have a poker or dice tournament, someone loses their money, and then for the next hour or so they fight each other over who cheated.” DemiVeemon smiled. “Trust me, it happens every other day.”

“I don’t know…” Terriermon added, his own ears raised up. “That didn’t sound like someone who lost a big bet.”

“What do you think it was?” Silver Spoon asked.

“I’m not sure, but we should be on the lookout. Opportunity might just come knocking.”

Babs Seed peered up the tunnel, listening to the commotion.

“PYRO SPHERE!” BOOM!

The sound echoed down the tunnel, and was music to Babs Seed’s ears. She turned back to Silver Spoon, Terriermon and DemiVeemon. “That was an explosion!” she said excitedly.

Terriermon smiled. “Sometimes opportunity sounds a lot like an explosion.”

DemiVeemon started jumping up and down. “Haha, we’re saved!”

“Maybe…” Terriermon trailed off.

Silver Spoon and the others turned to him. “What do you mean maybe?” Silver Spoon asked.

“Well, it sounds like they got in a fight. Which means the guards know they’re here.”

“Well...duh! What’s your point?”

“My point is that they’re probably gonna do everything they can to make sure that we don’t get out of here,” Terriermon reasoned. “We need a plan for when they come down here.” DemiVeemon opened his mouth to speak. “A plan that doesn’t involve charging them as soon as they open the door!” Terriermon interrupted.

“Aww, come on!” DemiVeemon pouted.

Babs Seed shook her head with a chuckle. “So, any ideas?” she asked.

Terriermon put a paw to his chin. He looked around the cell before turning to Silver Spoon. Silver Spoon looked to Terriermon as he continued to stare at her. “What?” she asked.

“KARATE FIST!” Bearmon shouted as he punched a Gazimon in the chest, sending it flying into the wall and reducing him to raw data. Bearmon closed his eyes as he absorbed the Gazimon’s data. He looked behind him to see Guilmon and Hawkmon absorbing the data from their own fallen opponents, while Palmon and Armadillomon stood ready for any stragglers. Bearmon watched as the remaining data trailed after the Gazimon DigiCores as they flew towards the cave entrance.

“Alright, nice work everyone!” Scootaloo cheered. “Now let’s get our friends back!”

“We’re almost there, just hold on a little longer you two!” Apple Bloom whispered to herself as she galloped after Scootaloo. It wasn’t long before the tunnel lead to a split. A group of Gazimon emerged from the left tunnel, making the ponies skid to a stop. The Digimon stood in front of the ponies, ready for a fight.

“Stop!” a small, yet sinister voice commanded. “I’ll deal with these trespassers, you secure the prisoners!”

“You sure about that?” one of the Gazimon asked, looking back into the tunnel they came out of.

“Did I stutter? I said go you fools!”

“Y-yes boss,” the Gazimon turned to his comrades, motioning them to go down the right tunnel.

“Hey! Where do you think you’re goin’?” Apple Bloom shouted to the Gazimon.

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about them if I were you,” the voice cackled. “Oh no, you should save that for me!”

“You’re the one in charge of this whole operation?” Scootaloo confronted. Beside her, Guilmon growled at the darkness.

The voice chuckled. “Indeed little one.” A figure slowly emerged from the darkness. “Prepare yourself! And gaze upon the face...of your doom!” A Digimon leaped out of the darkness and landed in front of them. A cackle let itself loose from his large mouth filled with crooked teeth as he stared them down with his red eyes. He was mostly covered in gray fur, with a patch of white on his chest and a long streak of orange fur going down his back. He sported two bat wings, two yellow hands with sharp claws...and was less than half the size of anypony in the room.

The Digimon continued his maniacal laughter until he noticed that everyone was staring at him. He didn’t see any trace of fear in their eyes like he anticipated, but rather confusion. “What?” he asked. “Do I have something in my teeth?”

Scootaloo’s gaze shifted behind the small Digimon, expecting someone bigger to come out at any moment. After a few moments she looked back down to him. “You’re...the one in charge of this whole operation?” she asked.

“Yes! Were you not listening to me earlier?” the Digimon shouted. “Why aren’t you trembling before me!”

Apple Bloom and Armadillomon looked at one another. “Well, um…” Apple Bloom began. “We were just…”

“We were kinda expectin’ someone taller,” Armadillomon finished.

“Yep, pretty much,” Apple Bloom nodded.

“I...bah...what?” the small Digimon fumbled.

“Wait, hold on,” Diamond Tiara snickered. “This is serious? You mean to tell me that all those guys took orders from this...this little shrimp?” Her snickering soon evolved into a full belly laugh. “This thing’s even smaller than Pipsqueak!”

As Diamond Tiara’s laughter sent her sprawling to the ground, Rumble aimed his device at the Digimon.

Name: Vilemon
Level: Champion
Attribute: Virus
Atacks:
Nightmare Shocker
Demon Darts

Rumble’s eyes widened. He looked up from the screen to Vilemon, who began to shake with anger. “Uh...Diamond Tiara?” Rumble said with worry. “You might wanna cut that out!”

Diamond Tiara looked up at Rumble, catching her breath and wiping a tear from her eye. “Why, what’s the worst he could do?” she asked. Rumble showed her his analyzer. Her eyes darted around the stats on the screen, lingering on Vilemon’s level. “You mean to tell me that this half pint is a Champion level Digimon?” she asked.

She looked to the rest of the group, most of which were looking at Vilemon with disbelief. Rumble was slowly putting distance between himself and Diamond Tiara, while Sweetie Belle had her hoof to her face. It was at that moment that Diamond Tiara realized what she said, how loud she said it, and why Vilemon looked like he had steam coming out of his ears.

“That’s it, you’re gonna get it!” Vilemon shouted before going airborne. “NIGHTMARE SHOCKER!” he shouted as a supersonic wave flew from his mouth straight towards Diamond Tiara. She leapt back as the shockwave impacted the ground in front of her, sending her onto her back.

“PYRO SPHERE!” Guilmon shouted as he launched a fireball at Vilemon.

Vilemon dodged the fireball, focusing on Guilmon. “NIGHTMARE SHOCKER!” Vilemon launched another shockwave at Guilmon. Guilmon turned to run, but cried out as he was struck in the back by the shockwave. He fell forward as he closed his eyes and collapsed.

“Guilmon!” Scootaloo shouted as she galloped towards the fallen dinosaur. “Guilmon, are you alright?” she said as she gently shook Guilmon.

Guilmon’s eyes began to twitch behind his eyelids. “Dark...so dark,” he muttered. “Hello? Is anyone here?”

“What?” Scootaloo leaned back. “What are you talking about? I’m right here.”

“Hello? Wait, what was that?” Guilmon asked. For a few moments he was silent. But then he began to squirm, and his breaths became quick. “No...no, stay away! Stay away! Help!”

Scootaloo’s eyes widened. Is he...having a nightmare? she thought. She began shaking him even harder. “Guilmon! It’s just a dream, wake up! Wake up!”

“Keep trying, it won’t do you any good,” Vilemon cackled. “Now then, who’s next?”

“Alright, you all know what to do,” the lead Gazimon said. “Secure the prisoners! We’ll prep them for transport down the tunnel if we have to!” He began unlocking the cells, leaving two Gazimon to secure the prisoners in each cell. Finally arriving at the fifth and final cell, he nodded to his partner, knowing to take extra care due to a certain occupant of this cell. He unlocked the door.

“Alright, all of you up against the wall, now!” the Gazimon barked to the cell occupants. Everyone complied almost immediately, rushing towards a part of the wall and pressing against it. Looking to the left, he spotted the small light brown pony from earlier today standing next to DemiVeemon, both up against the wall. “Aww, what’s the matter short stuff? Finally learned your lesson?” Gazimon gloated as DemiVeemon glared at him.

Looking up and around the cell, Gazimon smirked as the wall was lined with In-Training Digimon. But one Digimon stayed where he was, hunched over something towards the back of the cell. “Hey, Terriermon!” Gazimon barked. “I said get up against the wall!”

Terriermon looked back with worry in his eyes as the two guards marched towards him. “Please, you have to help,” he pleaded. “I think she ate something bad. She’s been like this for awhile now.”

The two Gazimon looked past Terriermon to see the gray pony with silver hair on her side with her eyes closed, clutching her barrel with her forelegs as she writhed on the cave floor. “Ugh! It hurts...my stomach...ugh!” she moaned.

“Can’t you do something to help her?” Terriermon pleaded.

“Oh for crying out loud,” one of the Gazimon rolled his eyes as he picked up Terriermon by his ear. “Get up against the wall now!” he yelled as he threw Terriermon towards the side. He looked down to Silver Spoon, who was still on the ground. He gently nudged her with his foot. “That means you too.”

“I can’t...I can’t get up,” Silver Spoon pleaded.

“Did you not hear him?” the other Gazimon asked. “He said, up against the—” He was interrupted by Babs Seed who had jumped onto his back, and had her forelegs around him in a headlock.

His comrade had barely taken a step to help when he was robbed of his sight. “Guess who?” Terriermon asked cheerily as he clung to the back of his head, using his giant ears as a blindfold. He held on as Gazimon tried to pull him off.

After stumbling around for a few moments, Gazimon tripped forward onto his face as Terriermon jumped off of him. “Why you little—” he grumbled before he looked up. Leaping towards him was an angry Pagumon, with several In-Training Digimon following his lead.

“DIGI-PILE!” Pagumon shouted as he and the Digimon following him descended onto Gazimon.

As Terriermon watched the Digimon piling onto Gazimon, and another group soon enveloping the Gazimon Babs Seed was handling, a smile crossed his face. He looked left to see Silver Spoon galloping towards him. “Alright, what do you say we get outta here, huh?” Terriermon asked.

“Sounds good to me!” Silver Spoon nodded. She ran towards the cell door, where Babs Seed and DemiVeemon were waiting. As they ran out of the cell, she could see the Digimon from the other cells using the commotion they caused to their advantage. The Gazimon were struggling to keep the small Digimon in the cells.

“Come on, let’s go!” Babs Seed said, motioning to the exit. Behind her and Silver Spoon, Babs saw Pagumon hop out of the cell with the rest of the Digimon imprisoned with them.

“FREEDOM!” Pagumon cheered as he led the charge out of the cave.

“ELECTRIC STUN BLAST!” a voice shouted from the cell. A black cloud laced with electricity billowed out of the cell, enveloping Pagumon and the other In-Training Digimon. Babs Seed and Silver Spoon, along with DemiVeemon and Terriermon, stood at the edge of the smoke. As the smoke cleared, the Digimon caught shook as they struggled to move. And out of the cell, emerged a very angry Gazimon.

“No one’s going anywhere!” he shouted. Gazimon leaned his head back as a black cloud began to form in his mouth. “ELECTRIC STUN BLAST!”

Another black cloud spewed forth from the Gazimon’s mouth. Between his attack and the pandemonium ensuing behind them, Babs Seed and Silver Spoon were trapped. Before they felt the sting of the electricity though, Terriermon leapt in front of them, spread his ears out and began to spin. “TERRIER TORNADO!” he shouted as he began to spin faster and faster. Soon Terriermon was nothing but a spinning green blur, with a green tornado forming around him. The tornado spun directly towards the cloud, dissipating it. As the cloud cleared away, Terriermon slowed down his spin until he came to rest on the ground and assume a fighting stance.

Gazimon looked to Terriermon with a smirk. “Not bad,” he said with a nod.

“You want more?” Terriermon smirked. He took a deep breath, a ball of green energy forming in his mouth. “BUNNY BLAST!” He spat the ball of energy at Gazimon...which dissipated before it got two feet away. Terriermon collapsed forward, breathing heavily.

“Terriermon? What’s wrong?” Silver Spoon asked.

“So...hungry,” Terriermon groaned as he struggled to get up.

Silver Spoon glanced between Terriermon and Gazimon. “What’s the matter?” Gazimon laughed. “Run out of steam?” Gazimon inspected his claws. “Now under normal circumstances, this would be the part where I beat you senseless, toss you back into your cell, and cut your rations down even further.”

“I knew it!” Pagumon shouted, earning a glare from Terriermon.

“But, since there’s intruders running around…” Gazimon said as he looked back up. “I think I’ll just destroy ya and take your data, and your pals back there too.” Gazimon nodded behind Terriermon. “By the time you all hatch again, we’ll be long gone.”

Silver Spoon’s pupils shrunk to pinpricks, and her breath got caught in her throat. “You’re going to...what?” she whimpered.

“Although, if you would do me a small favor?” Gazimon continued. “When that day comes, tell Elecmon I said hello, and thanks for the hospitality.”

Gazimon took a couple of steps towards Terriermon before he stopped upon hearing the rapid clopping of hooves against the ground. He looked up in time to see Babs Seed put herself between Terriermon and Gazimon. She blew a lock of hair out of her left eye before leveling a glare at Gazimon. “Back. Off!” she growled.

Gazimon stared at her before bursting out into laughter. “And what, hahaha...what are you gonna do?” He said in between chuckles.

Babs Seed’s nostrils flared as she got low and began pawing at the ground with her right forehoof.

“Aww...look at you being all defiant. That’s cute.”

Babs Seed smirked. “Wait ‘till you get to know me!” And with that she charged at Gazimon with a loud battle cry.

Gazimon looked up from his laughing fit. His eyes widened upon seeing the angry mass of amber and dark pink charging for him. He barely had time to react as Babs leapt up in the air and tackled him to the ground.

Silver Spoon rushed to Terriermon with DemiVeemon beside her. Silver Spoon gingerly helped Terriermon back onto his feet. She looked back up to see Babs on top of a still shocked Gazimon. DemiVeemon watched the spectacle with an open mouth and wide eyes.

Babs Seed held Gazimon’s chest with her left forehoof as she pulled back her right foreleg and delivered a solid punch to his face. She pulled back her foreleg again and delivered another punch, and another. As she pulled back her foreleg for another punch, Gazimon whipped his right arm forward and scratched her cheek.

“Gah!” Babs cried out, quickly bringing her left hoof up to her face.

“Get off me you little twerp!” Gazimon shouted as he slipped out from under her, and used both legs to kick her off of him.

“Omph,” Babs landed on the ground a few feet away from Gazimon. She slowly got up and put a hoof up to her stinging left cheek. She brought her hoof away from her face and looked down on it. She closed her eyes, and smiled. “That the best you got?” Babs chuckled as she turned back to Gazimon, who was massaging his jaw. “I’ve taken worse from the playground at my old school!”

“Hmph,” Gazimon grunted as he marched towards Babs Seed and delivered a punch to her gut.

Silver Spoon and Terriermon winced as the wind was knocked out of Babs Seed, causing her to collapse onto the ground. DemiVeemon only took deep breaths through his nose as he began to shake in anger, and his eyes narrowed.

Gazimon grabbed Babs Seed’s mane, lifting her up to his face. Babs Seed let out another chuckle. “Come on...impress me!” she dared.

Gazimon smirked as he brought back his claw. “You don’t scare easily, I’ll give you that.”

Babs Seed closed her eyes, bracing herself.

“DemiVeemon! What are you doing?!” she heard Silver Spoon shout. She opened an eye to see DemiVeemon, sounding off his battle cry as he charged towards Gazimon.

Gazimon rolled his eyes as he turned to the charging DemiVeemon. “You always know how to take the fun out of my day, do you?” he asked.

“DemiVeemon…” Babs Seed whispered. She spotted a faint blue light in her peripheral vision. Glancing down at the blue device on her left foreleg, she saw the screen beginning to glow brighter and brighter. She looked back up to DemiVeemon who began to glow with a similar light.

Gazimon stepped back, dropping Babs Seed in the process. “What the—”

DemiVeemon Digivolve to…
VEEMON

“VEE HEADBUTT!” Veemon shouted as he charged headfirst into Gazimon, sending him flying across the floor. “Yeah, I guess I do,” he smirked. He looked back to Babs Seed. “Hey, you alright?” he asked, extending a hand to her.

Babs Seed looked at Veemon in awe before taking his hand with a smile. “Yeah, I’m fine,” she assured him as he helped her up. Once she was back on four legs, Babs was able to get a better look at Veemon, who was now able to meet her at eye level. His feet now sported three claws on each foot, and his arms and legs were longer with more muscle. The white was gone from most of his face, with the exception of the area around his mouth. There were yellow markings just beneath his eyes and a small yellow V in between them. And finally, there was a small horn at the tip of his nose.

“Good,” Veemon nodded as he gave Babs a light pat on her side. “You hang back for a bit. I have a little score to settle.” He turned to Gazimon with a confident smile as he pressed a fist into his palm.

Gazimon got back up on his hind legs. As he assumed a fighting stance, he chuckled and said, “Did I not tell you about the definition of insanity?”

“DEMON DARTS!” Vilemon shouted as he threw darts of dark blue energy towards a charging Bearmon. Bearmon skidded to a stop and rolled to the side, dodging the attack. Before he could continue forward, Vilemon launched another barrage of darts at him, forcing him back.

“I can’t get close to him!” Bearmon yelled as he continued to hop back. Soon he felt something solid against his back. He glanced back to see that he had hit the cave wall. “Uh oh.”

“Gotcha!” Vilemon said as he throw another round of darts at Bearmon. Bearmon cried out as the darts hit him right in the chest. He winced as he crumpled forward, clutching his chest with one paw.

“Come on Bearmon, shake it off!” Rumble cried.

“FEATHER STRIKE!” Hawkmon threw his feather, only for Vilemon to expertly dart out of the way. “Little bugger’s too fast,” he muttered as he caught his feather again.

“DIAMOND SHELL!” Armadillomon attempted to hit him from the side, only to cannonball into the wall.

“Too slow,” Vilemon taunted as Armadillomon shook himself off. “NIGHTMARE SHOCKER!”

Armadillomon looked to Vilemon with wide eyes as the shockwave hit him.

“Armadillomon!” Apple Bloom shouted as he fell onto his belly, eyes closed.

Hawkmon flew towards Vilemon, swerving side to side. If I can just get close enough, I should be able to—

“DEMON DARTS!” Vilemon threw three more darts at Hawkmon, clipping his wing and sending him crashing back onto the cave floor.

Palmon lifted her hands back. “POISON I—”

“Nope!” Vilemon yelled, throwing another burst of darts at Palmon and knocking her on her back.

Apple Bloom looked around the cave. Most of the Digimon were struggling to get up, while Guilmon and Armadillomon were writhing on the ground. Apple Bloom glanced over to a now squirming Armadillomon.

“Please,” he muttered. “Please let me out. The water...the water’s rising! Please...let me out!”

“Now then,” Vilemon cackled. “Which one of you should I take care of first?” He lifted a claw to his chin. He then began to point to each of the scarred ponies scattered around the tunnel. “Eenie...meenie...miney…” He then pointed to Diamond Tiara. “Mo!”

Vilemon drifted ever closer to Diamond Tiara, forcing her to back up even further. “W-wait a minute,” Diamond Tiara stuttered. “C-can’t we talk this over?” She felt her flank touch the cold surface of the rock, yet she continued to press further up along the surface. As she pressed against the wall on her hind legs, her chest quickly rose and fell with her breathing.

“Hehehe,” Vilemon chuckled. “Sweet dreams. NIGHTMARE SHOC—”

Hawkmon swooped in from behind Vilemon, grabbing him by the shoulders with his talons and pinning him to the ground. “BEAK PECKER!” Hawkmon shouted before rapidly pecking Vilemon with his beak.

“Ow ow ow ow!” Vilemon yelled before taking a swipe at Hawkmon, who flew up to avoid the attack. Vilemon growled before hovering towards Hawkmon. “You’ll regret that you feathered fr—”

“POISON IVY!” Palmon shouted, wrapping Vilemon in her tendrils. Vilemon could only shout as he was whipped into the wall, then onto the floor where Bearmon was waiting.

“KARATE FIST!” Bearmon shouted as he sent Vilemon flying back into the wall.

As Vilemon slid back down the wall and onto the floor, he let out a distorted groan as his body began to glitch. He crawled forward until he he found himself in front of a yellow talon. He slowly looked up into Hawkmon’s icey blue eyes, leveling a glare that could burn through paper. Vilemon scurried back to the wall as Hawkmon advanced towards him. “W-wait a minute, let’s not get too h— *bzzt* hasty here,” he pleaded. “We *bzzzt* we can talk this over!”

“Sorry,” Hawkmon said. “But I do believe that ship has long since sailed. BEAK PECKER!”

Vilemon let out one final cry as Hawkmon delivered a few more powerful hits with his beak before he was deleted. Hawkmon absorbed his data, and glared at his DigiCore as it flew towards the cave exit. “Good riddance!” he muttered.

While everyone took a few moments to recover from the fight, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo ran up to Armadillomon and Guilmon, who were still asleep on the ground.

“Armadillomon?” Apple Bloom whispered. She reached out and gently shook him. Armadillomon’s eyes shot open and he let out a small yelp. He looked around frantically, taking shallow breaths. “Hey, it's alright,” Apple Bloom said, putting a hoof on his shell. “It was just a bad dream.”

“Where...where’s Vilemon?” Armadillomon asked.

“He's gone, don't worry. How ‘bout you, are you alright?”

Armadillomon looked up and smiled. “Yeah, I’ll be alright.”

Apple Bloom and Armadillomon looked over to see Guilmon holding on tightly to Scootaloo. “Yeah, I’m alright Guilmon,” Scootaloo croaked. “But do you think...you could loosen up...just a little?”

“Oh, sorry,” Guilmon said as he put Scootaloo down.

“Diamond Tiara, are you alright?” Hawkmon asked, extending a wing to her.

Diamond Tiara looked up at Hawkmon. “A bit shaken up. Other than that I’m alright, thanks to you.” She smiled as he helped her up.

“So, is everyone good?” Rumble asked. “Then what do you say we wrap this up and get out of here!” Everyone looked to each other and nodded before following the tracks down into the tunnel.

Veemon blocked another punch from Gazimon before countering with a couple punches of his own. Gazimon stumbled back a few feet before stabilizing himself.

Gazimon leveled a glare at Veemon before lifting his head back. “ELECTRIC STUN—”

“VEE HEADBUTT!” Veemon charged in with another headbutt, interrupting Gazimon’s attack and knocking him to the floor. “I’m sorry, what was that?”

Gazimon propped himself up on one foreleg, using the other to grip his chest. “What’s the matter?” Veemon taunted. “Finally learned your lesson?”

Gazimon slowly he picked himself up. “You...little imbecile!” he growled. “I’ll teach you a lesson!” he shouted as he charged towards Veemon. Bringing his foreleg back, Gazimon threw a powerful strike at Veemon, which he dodged. Turning around, Gazimon tried to strike him again. Veemon knocked the attack aside, then followed through with two punches to his gut and one to his jaw, sending him sprawling to the ground once again.

Gazimon shook and glitched as he got up. Ignoring the pain, he let out a battle cry as he attempted one last charge. Veemon narrowed his eyes, brought his right foot behind him and bent his left knee. As Gazimon threw his punch, Veemon grabbed his foreleg, pulling him forward. At the same time, Veemon put his left hand to Gazimon’s stomach. Using Gazimon’s momentum against him, he flipped him forward onto his back and delivered one last punch to his face.

Gazimon shattered into raw data, and Veemon smiled as he absorbed as much as he could. He looked to Gazimon’s DigiCore as it flew off. “Lesson over, class is dismissed,” Veemon smirked. He turned back to Babs Seed and the others, all watching in awe.

“Wowza…” Babs Seed started before smiling. “That was awesome!”

“Nice to see that guy finally get what was coming to him,” Terriermon nodded.

“It was even better knowing I was the one givin’ it to him!” Veemon chuckled. “Now then, who wants to go out and see the sun again?”

“Forget the sun,” Terriermon said. “I just wanna eat something that I don’t have to fight over.”

“Uh...I’m not sure if now is the time to celebrate,” Silver Spoon said.

Everyone looked behind them to see the four remaining Gazimon advancing towards them. Glancing past them, Babs could see the In-Training Digimon strewn across the floor, subdued and paralyzed. Veemon raced in front of them and assumed a fighting stance. Terriermon, in his weakened state, tried to look as intimidating as possible.

Suddenly, one of the Gazimon jumped with a yelp as he was hit in the back with a fireball. The others looked to him as he spun around a few times until he got a grip on his tail, and put out the small fire on the tip of it.

“Let ‘em go!” a country voice shouted from behind them. Babs Seed and Silver Spoon beamed with happiness as they saw their friends emerge from the darkness. Apple Bloom glared at them while Guilmon hunched over and growled.

“Wait, if they’re here then that means…” one of the Gazimon started. His eyes widened as he arrived at the same conclusion as his comrades. “They defeated Vilemon. They got the boss!”

“Game over for you jerks!” Scootaloo shouted.

“You’re surrounded, just give up!” Rumble said.

The Gazimon stood back to back as they tried to find a way out of their predicament. “Uh, quick!” one of the Gazimon shouted. “Initiate Emergency Plan Delta!” The others nodded and took a deep breath. “ELECTRIC STUN BLAST!” they shouted as they exhaled enough gas to create a smokescreen.

The ponies stepped back while the Digimon stood ready to fight. As the smoke cleared, where there was once four Gazimon, four holes remained. “Where’d they go?” Babs Seed asked. The sound of rapid footfalls made her look back just in time to see the last of the Gazimon burst out of the ground behind her. Running on all fours, he dashed down the tunnel with the rest of the pack.

“That’s right you losers, run!” Veemon shouted after them. “And don’t you ever come back!”

“Babs!” Babs Seed looked back to see Apple Bloom galloping for her.

“Hey AB!” Babs cheered as she rushed to greet her cousin. She caught her in a hug and gave her a loving nuzzle.

“Thank Celestia!” Apple Bloom cried as she hugged Babs Seed. “Thank Celestia you’re alright! If anything happened to you, I don’t know—” Her eyes went wide as she gave off a small gasp. “Oh my gosh…”

“What?” Babs asked.

Apple Bloom put down Babs Seed. “You’re cheek...”

Babs Seed put a hoof to her left cheek, feeling a small sting as she touched it. She shook her head and chuckled. “It’s just a scratch.”

“You sure? You’re not hurt anywhere else are ya?”

“Cuz’, I’m fine. Really, it’ll heal.”

Apple Bloom gave a sad smile before looking to Diamond Tiara, who was holding on to Silver Spoon as if she was about to float away from her.

“You’re not hurt either, are you?” Diamond Tiara asked.

“No,” Silver Spoon replied. “I’m fine.”

“You sure?”

“Mmmhmm,” Silver Spoon nodded.

“Then...why are you crying?”

Silver Spoon wiped her eyes before looking back at Diamond Tiara. “I’m...I’m just happy you found us.”

“Well of course we’d find you! Did you really think I’d just give up on my best friend?”

Silver Spoon glanced at Babs Seed. “Never doubted it for a second Di,” she chuckled before giving her a nuzzle.

Apple Bloom turned to Veemon, who was standing behind Babs.

“Who’s this?” Apple Bloom gestured behind Babs.

“Oh,” Babs looked back. “This is Veemon. He really helped me out of a bind back there.”

Bearmon’s ears perked upon hearing the name. He turned to Veemon, staring at him for a few moments. “Wait a minute…” Bearmon said. “DemiVeemon?”

Veemon looked over to Bearmon, studying him with the same intent. “No, it can’t be…” Veemon muttered, a flash of recognition crossing his eyes. “Tsunomon, is that you?”

The two Digimon stared at each other for a few moments before they both smiled. “You digivolved!” they both shouted. “Congratulations!” They embraced in a quick hug before Veemon stepped back and looked Bearmon over.

“Put on a few more pounds eh?” Veemon teased, giving Bearmon a playful punch on the arm. “You look good buddy.”

“You too,” Bearmon said. “You finally got arms long enough to reach something.”

“Oh, get a room you two!” Pagumon shouted.

Everyone looked back to see the Digimon shaking off the Gazimon’s paralysis. “Oh, hello Pagumon,” Bearmon said, deadpan.

“Hello fuzzball,” Pagumon replied.

Bearmon clenched his paws into fists and let out an annoyed growl. “Hey, come on now,” Veemon said, putting a hand on Bearmon’s shoulder. “He’s not worth it.”

Bearmon gave a small nod. “What do you say we get everyone back to Primary Village—” he turned to glare at Pagumon. “Before someone does something they’ll regret.” Pagumon blew a raspberry before hopping towards the cave entrance.

“Primary Village?” Silver Spoon asked as she walked with everyone towards the exit. “You sure we...won’t run into any trouble there?”

Diamond Tiara smiled. “Don’t worry Sil. The Digimon who runs the place is actually pretty nice, we’ll be alright.”

Terriermon walked up to Silver Spoon. “Yep, Primary Village is one of the safest places on File Island. So moumantai, alright?”

Silver Spoon stopped. “Okay, that’s the third time I’ve heard you say that.”

Terriermon turned to Silver Spoon. “Say what?”

“That word…moumantai. What does that mean?”

Terriermon giggled. “Come on, haven’t ya figured it out yet?”

“...If I had figured out what it meant, would I be asking you?”

“Fair enough,” Terriermon nodded. “It means: take it easy.”

The sounds of cheering and celebration filled all of Primary Village as the Digimon who were rescued were reunited with their friends.

“Wow…” Babs Seed said. “Look at all of them.”

“They’re all so happy,” Rumble smiled.

“Thanks to you they are.” Everyone turned to see Elecmon walking towards them with a smile. “You all must be hungry. Why don’t you follow me and we’ll get you something to eat.”

“What about the other Digimon?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Don’t worry, some of the Gotsumon are making a nice meal for them. Goodness knows they could use it.” Elecmon led the group back to the cabin. “So, what are you up for? We’ve got some fruits, vegetables, I think we’ve got plenty of stuff for sandwiches…”

“Do you have any salmon?” Veemon asked excitedly.

Elecmon put a paw to his chin. “I think we have some in the freezer. If you want, you can help grill some while me and Bearmon get the rest of the food.”

“Hey, why can’t I help grill the salmon?” Bearmon pouted. “You know I like fish.”

“Yeah, I do,” Elecmon said, deadpan. “The last time you helped cook fish, half the catch seemed to vanish before it made it to the plate.” Bearmon smiled sheepishly.

“Well while you’re doing that, perhaps the rest of us could help set the table?” Hawkmon suggested.

Elecmon nodded. “You know where the plates are, go right ahead.”

As everyone followed Elecmon into the kitchen, Babs asked, “Wait, you eat fish Veemon?”

“Sometimes,” Veemon replied.

“So...what kinds of food can Digimon eat?”

Hawkmon looked back to Babs, having overheard the conversation. “Well, most Digimon are omnivores so…”

“Omni-whats?” Apple Bloom asked.

Silver Spoon stopped. “So, you can eat plants and…meat?” she asked with a gulp.

“Yep, that’s right,” Veemon replied happily. “I usually like fish because it’s tender. Though I have heard of some pretty flavorful meats out there. So, I like to keep an open mind in case I come across something…” Veemon trailed off when he realized that Babs Seed wasn’t following him anymore. He looked back to see her frozen in the hallway, staring at him with wide eyes. The rest of the ponies looked at the Digimon with varying levels of concern, and in some cases fear.

Veemon looked from the ponies to the Digimon standing in the hall. “Um...was it something I said?”

“So...ponies as a whole are herbivores?” Hawkmon asked as he took a bite of grilled salmon. “But you can eat dairy products and grains?”

“Mmhmm,” Diamond Tiara nodded as she swallowed a bite of her sandwich. “We can eat eggs, bread, cereal, fruits and veggies, that sort of thing.”

“So does nobody eats meat where you come from?” Palmon asked.

“Well...not exactly,” Sweetie Belle said.

“Some races like griffons and dragons can eat meat,” Apple Bloom chimed in as she grabbed a pear from a plate of fruit. “But they mostly live outside of Equestria.”

“I am so sorry,” Veemon said from across the table. Everypony looked to see him rubbing the back of his head as he stared at his plate of salmon. “I didn’t mean to freak anyone out when I said...you know.”

“It’s cool,” Babs Seed smiled, sitting next to Veemon. “It’s just...gonna take some gettin’ used to, ya know?”

“Were you scared that we might…” Bearmon trailed off. “Well…”

“Eat us?” Rumble finished. Bearmon nodded.

Everyone looked at each other as an awkward silence hung over the table. “Well…” Apple Bloom started. “Maybe a little.” Everypony at the table murmured in agreement. “It’s just…” Apple Bloom continued. “We don’t know much about this place, or your way of life.”

“I get what you mean Apple Bloom, but come on,” Armadillomon chuckled. “Ya gotta give us a little credit.”

“Yeah,” Terriermon piped in. “I don’t know what it’s like where you come from. But around here, we tend not to eat our friends.”

Sweetie Belle chuckled. “Well that’s good to hear.”

“So if your kind eats mostly plant based food…” Hawkmon started before looking down the table. “Then how do you explain her?”

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked down the table to see Scootaloo halfway through a sandwich. On closer inspection, the fillies could see a piece of salmon sticking out. Scootaloo looked up to see her friends looking at her as if she grew a second head. “...What?” she asked after swallowing a bite.

“Do you...know what you’re eating right now?” Sweetie Belle asked.

Scootaloo glanced down at her sandwich. “Um...a piece of salmon and lettuce between two pieces of bread?” Scootaloo stared back at her friends before she put down her sandwich. “Hold on...you mean to tell me that you’ve never seen me eat fish before?” Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle shook their heads. “But I’d sometimes bring it in my lunchbox. You never realized that I would have brought a tuna sandwich every now and again?”

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked at each other for a moment. “Huh…I guess we never noticed that,” Apple Bloom said.

“I mean, sometimes when my family took me to a restaurant, I would see fish on the menu, but I would never see my parents eat it,” Sweetie Belle said. “Why do you like it Scootaloo?”

Scootaloo stopped chewing her food for a moment, looking from Sweetie Belle to the sandwich. Eventually she looked up to Sweetie Belle and shrugged before she swallowed. “I think I might know why.” Everyone turned to Silver Spoon, who smiled as she adjusted her glasses.

Here we go… Diamond Tiara thought to herself with a chuckle.

“Although most ponies CAN safely eat fish, it’s often favored by Pegasi,” Silver Spoon began. “This is mostly because of their avian ancestry.” She saw Scootaloo looking at her with a raised eyebrow. “Bird-like ancestry,” Silver Spoon said with a bemused stare.

“Oh…” Scootaloo said.

“Anyway, the reasons also date back to the times before the founding of Equestria,” Silver Spoon continued. “Since the Earth Ponies controlled most of the fertile ground, and the Unicorns held a vast amount of territory, the Pegasi had to establish their homes in the skies around the coastlines. As a result, they began to rely more and more on fish as a sustainable food source. When they couldn’t trade enough for food from Earth Pony farms, the Pegasus tribes would send out hunting parties towards nearby bodies of water to get their food.”

Silver Spoon took a drink of water, having finished her lecture. She couldn’t help but smile seeing the impressed faces around the table. “Huh…” Scootaloo said. “That’s pretty cool actually.”

“Well thank you,” Silver Spoon said.

The rest of the meal passed in relative silence, until Bearmon asked Veemon how he digivolved. Everyone listened as Veemon retold the story of their escape, how Babs Seed stood up to the Gazimon, and how Veemon digivolved as he rushed to help her.

“Hold up,” Bearmon said. “It took me a week after you were taken before I was able to get the necessary data to digivolve. You rushed in to save her...and you digivolved just like that?” he asked with a snap of his fingers. “Without absorbing any data or anything?”

Veemon looked down with a creased brow. “Now that you mention it...no I guess I didn’t.” He looked over to Babs Seed, and the device on her foreleg. “Actually, right before it happened I saw that thing start to glow. Then I felt this rush and then...boom! I’m Veemon.”

Apple Bloom’s eyes shot wide. She turned to Elecmon, who had been mostly silent throughout the dinner. “Elecmon, didn’t you say you knew what these things are?”

Elecmon shot straight up in his seat. “Yes, I did say that didn’t I? But then Bearmon came in carrying Hawkmon and then, well...you were there.” Feeling all the eyes at the table on him, Elecmon cleared his throat and addressed the table in a more serious tone. “Those devices you have strapped on, they are called Digivices. Ancient legends describe the Digivice as a holy device which guides the Digital World towards light while repelling the darkness. They are possessed by the DigiDestined, who are—”

“Okay, time out for a second,” Silver Spoon interrupted. “Digimon, Digivice, Digivolution, DigiDestined; Is anypony else detecting a bit of a pattern here?” Her question was met with stares and silence. “...Sorry,” she whispered, sinking a bit into her seat.

“As I was saying,” Elecmon continued. “The Digivices are possessed by the DigiDestined, who are heroes called upon to save the Digital World in times of crisis.”

“Really?” Sweetie Belle asked, to which Elecmon nodded. She looked down at the green Digivice on her foreleg. “Well if that’s true...then we need to find these DigiDestined and give them back!” She declared with a squeak.

Apple Bloom nodded. “Yeah, if this world is in trouble, I reckon that they’ll need these!”

“You think maybe they’ll be able to help us get home?” Rumble asked.

“We could certainly use the help of a few heroes, that’s for sure,” Babs Seed said.

“We give them these...Digivices—” Silver Spoon said with a groan. “So they can save the Digital World, and they help us get back home. Seems like a fair trade to me.” Diamond Tiara nodded in agreement.

Apple Bloom turned back to Elecmon. “Do you know where we might be able to find these DigiDestined?”

Elecmon chuckled. “Oh...I think I know exactly where you can find them.”

Everypony looked up at Elecmon, a hopeful gleam in their eyes. “That’s awesome!” Scootaloo smiled. “Where are they?”

Elecmon looked all around the table with a smile. “They’re sitting down here, at this very table.”

Apple Bloom leaned back, puzzled at Elecmon’s words. “Wait, whaddya mean they’re…” The gears in Apple Bloom’s mind began to click into place and turn faster and faster as her expression began to morph from puzzled, to realization, to shock. She looked at Elecmon with wide eyes, her breathing becoming shallow. She opened her mouth to speak, to confirm her bizarre theory with Elecmon. But the words refused to leave her throat, as if her breath was a cork preventing any speech. Instead, Apple Bloom slowly pointed to herself, watching as Elecmon nodded. She then looked towards the other ponies seated at the table, gesturing to each and every one of them before turning back to Elecmon.

Elecmon nodded again. Apple Bloom lowered her hoof back down to the table, looking back to find that everypony at the table had misplaced their voices like she had. In the deafening silence that engulfed the room, everypony stared at Elecmon with their mouths agape as his words sunk in.

“You children,” Elecmon began. “You seven little ponies...are DigiDestined!”

Chapter 6: Attack on Primary Village

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Silence hung over the room as Elecmon’s announcement echoed in the heads of the fillies and colt seated around the table. Elecmon glanced around at the shocked faces staring back at him as he waited for someone to say something.

“Bwaahahahahaa!”

Everyone turned to see Diamond Tiara leaning forward, forelegs clutching her barrel as she laughed. “That’s...that’s a good one!” she said as she tried to catch her breath between giggles. “You...you really had me going there.”

“I don’t understand,” Elecmon said. “What’s so funny?”

“You telling us that we’re...what, DigiDestined? That we’re supposed to be some kind of heroes or something? You have an...interesting sense of humor.”

“Um...thank you, I guess. But what made you think I was joking?”

Diamond Tiara shook her head with a chuckle. “Okay, the joke’s been played. You can stop now.”

“...What joke?”

“Okay, seriously...knock it off with that—”

“I think what my friend here is tryin’ to say—” Apple Bloom interrupted. “Is that, while we appreciate that you think mighty highly of us...I’m afraid you’ve got us mixed up with someone else.” Everypony around the table nodded and murmured in agreement.

“Hmm…” Elecmon put a paw to his chin for a while before shaking his head. “Nope, I don’t think so.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“You remember when we met? You told me that the Digivices attached themselves to you. There must have been a reason for that.”

“Yeah,” Diamond Tiara said in a flat tone. “The reason being Scootaloo was too curious for her own good!”

“Hey!” Scootaloo shouted, throwing her forelegs up. “Why you gotta pin this on me?”

Diamond Tiara turned to Scootaloo. “You’re the one who opened that display case! You’re the one who decided to reach in to get a better look at these things! Then what happened next, huh?”

Scootaloo glanced down at the red Digivice on her foreleg. “But...I didn’t know…” she fumbled. Her ears flopped down to the side of her head, and her shoulders slumped as she looked down at the Digivice. She looked back up to her friends around the table. “Do...do all of you think this? Is this really my fault?”

“What? No!” Sweetie Belle said, getting out of her seat and walking over to Scootaloo. “Of course it’s not your fault.”

“But I did open that case! I reached out to touch this thing, then they flew on to us,” Scootaloo said, tears starting to well up in her eyes. “And then...that machine froze us in place and then—”

“Scootaloo!” Sweetie Belle said putting a hoof on her shoulder. “It’s okay...I was curious about these things too.”

“Yeah,” Apple Bloom said. “I mean, let’s be real here; if you didn’t try to pick them up, I’m sure one of us would have.” Sweetie Belle nodded.

“Pfft,” Silver Spoon rolled her eyes. “Says you.”

Apple Bloom leaned forward on her forelegs, looking right at Silver Spoon. “Tell me you weren’t curious. Look me in the eye, and say that you wouldn’t have tried to get a closer look at them!”

“No, I wouldn’t,” Silver Spoon stuck her nose up. Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow at her. Silver Spoon looked back down at her plate, trying to evade Apple Bloom’s gaze. Still feeling it a few moments later, Silver Spoon sighed. “Well...maybe I would have taken a little peek.”

“Alright,” Diamond Tiara sighed. “Cards on the table, I was waiting for somepony to pick one of these things up.” She lifted her foreleg to show her Digivice. Looking around the table, she saw everypony nodding or rubbing the back of their heads. She looked back to Sweetie Belle, who motioned her head to Scootaloo.

“Look, Scootaloo…” Diamond Tiara began. “I’m sorry I said that. I don’t blame you for us being here.”

Scootaloo wiped her eyes before looking up. “Really?”

Diamond Tiara nodded. “Apple Bloom’s right. If you didn’t pick it up, somepony else would have...then I would be blaming them.”

Scootaloo smiled. “Alright, apology accepted.” She glanced to Sweetie Belle, who was still by her side. “Um, Sweetie Belle...you know you didn’t have to get out of your seat, right?”

“I know,” Sweetie Belle said, backing up to her seat. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You looked like you were going to cry their for a second.”

“No I wasn’t!” Scootaloo protested. “I...had something in my eye. Piece of bread or something.”

“If you say so,” Sweetie Belle smiled.

“Our common curiosity aside,” Babs Seed said. “Just because we have these Digivices doesn’t make us heroes. I mean, if I got my hooves on a cop badge, would that make me a cop?”

“She has a point,” Rumble nodded. “Forgive me, but you seem to be basing this all on the fact that we have these Digivices, and not much else.”

“Well, that’s not entirely true,” Elecmon said. “I suppose that anyone could find a Digivice, but merely possessing it does not necessarily make them DigiDestined. One thing that does however, is that they also work with a partner Digimon.”

“A partner Digimon?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Yes,” Elecmon nodded. “According to the stories, the Digivice’s primary function is to channel the energy and emotions of a DigiDestined in order to digivolve a Digimon to a higher level. Said Digimon works as a partner with the DigiDestined, and rarely leaves his or her side.”

“So, a partner Digimon can evolve...without having to absorb any data?” Rumble asked, to which Elecmon nodded.

“You mean kind of like how Guilmon...” Scootaloo trailed off. She turned to Guilmon, thinking back to the events that transpired yesterday. She looked over to Apple Bloom, who was looking at Armadillomon the same way. “Hey Apple Bloom, do you remember what happened when we were cornered by Kuwagamon?”

Apple Bloom looked up at Scootaloo and nodded. “Right after Upamon and Gigimon charged in...our Digivices started glowin’. And then they digivolved into Armadillomon and Guilmon.”

“And I remember telling you last night that it’s probably just a coincidence,” Silver Spoon said.

“I don’t know,” Babs Seed piped in. “When DemiVeemon was rushing to help me, mine was glowing right before he evolved into Veemon.”

“Coincidence!” Silver Spoon shouted.

“Sil!” Diamond Tiara leaned back. “What’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong?” Silver Spoon parroted. “Please don’t tell me you’re actually buying this. That we’re supposed to be some kind of heroes, and that these Digimon are supposed to be our partners!”

“What’s wrong with that?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“What’s—” Silver Spoon took a deep breath. “Okay, let me spell it out for you. We. Are. Just. Kids!” She paused to let that sink in. “I mean...why would these Digivices choose us? There’s got to be somepony more qualified for this, somepony older than twelve!”

Apple Bloom looked down. She has a point, she thought. Me, Scootaloo and Diamond Tiara are all twelve. Sweetie Belle and Silver Spoon are eleven, and so is Rumble I think. And Babs’ thirteenth birthday is in a few months!

Elecmon pursed his lips as he looked lost in thought. “Will you excuse me for a moment?” he asked, getting up out of his seat and walking down the hall.

“Now don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for their help,” Silver Spoon continued, gesturing to the Digimon at the table. “But just because they helped us out doesn’t mean they’re supposed to be our partners, is it?

“What’s the matter?” Terriermon asked. “I’m not good enough for you?”

“Well no, I didn’t mean it like that. You’re a nice guy Terriermon. I’m just saying, how do we know if we’re supposed to be partners?”

Everyone looked at each other for a few moments before Guilmon spoke up. “Well, when I first saw Scootaloo on the beach, it was almost like...like I knew her from somewhere.” Guilmon shook his head. “I don’t know, is that weird?”

“No…” Everyone turned to Armadillomon. “No, I think I know what you mean. When I saw Apple Bloom, it felt like I had been waiting for her...for a while.”

“Same here,” Palmon chimed in. “With Sweetie Belle anyway.”

Babs Seed looked over at Veemon. “When I saw DemiVeemon, I kinda saw a bit of myself in the little guy. And the way he digivolved trying to help me, I felt a bit more of that kind of connection.”

“Aw, stop it,” Veemon blushed.

“Come to think of it,” Rumble started. “That’s sorta how I felt around Bearmon.”

“I’ll be honest, Hawkmon was the first Digimon I really felt comfortable around ever since we came to the Digital World,” Diamond Tiara said. She looked around to see all the Digimon staring at her. “Um, no offense.”

“None taken,” Armadillomon chuckled. “Guilmon’s pretty scary lookin’.”

“Yea—” Guilmon’s eyes widened. “Hey!”

Terriermon laughed along with the rest of the table. He looked right to see Silver Spoon staring at her plate. “Hey, come on Silver Spoon. Moumantai!”

Silver Spoon glanced at Terriermon. He said that back in the caves too, she thought. Even though I’ve never heard it before, he was able to calm me down after saying it once! And he gave me a piece of that bread, even though it could have given him more energy to help fight our way out. Could he really be...

A weight slammed against the table, shocking Silver Spoon out of her thoughts. Everyone looked up to see Elecmon with a large old book in front of him.

“What’s that?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“A scrapbook,” Elecmon smiled as he opened the book. “I wanted to show you all something.” Everyone leaned forward as Elecmon leafed through several pages showing photos of the village, and the playful Digimon who inhabited it. Eventually, he stopped at one particular page and smiled. “There you are!”

Elecmon put the book down on the table and turned it towards everyone else. Elecmon pointed to a picture of him standing next to a small, two legged creature only slightly taller than him. The creature had light skin, blue eyes, and traces of short blond hair coming out from the green hat it was wearing, a longer tuft of hair coming out of the front. It wore green overalls over a light green T-shirt, green shoes, and white socks. On top of the creature’s hat was a small, orange and cream colored guinea pig-like creature with light blue eyes, and bat wings in place of ears. All three of them were smiling for the camera.

“This—” Elecmon tapped on the clothed creature in the picture. “Is T.K. and his partner Patamon.”

“What is he supposed to be?” Silver Spoon asked.

“Well, he’s a human child who came to this world with—”

“Wait, human? What’s a human?”

Sweetie Belle perked up. “I think I’ve heard of them before!”

“Wait, really?” Scootaloo asked.

“Yeah, Spike told me about them. He said that he and Twilight met some after going through some portal to a parallel universe.”

“Well, what are they like?” Apple Bloom asked.

“He said they were kind of like us, in some ways. But before he could go into detail, Rarity walked into the room and well...he kinda forgot about the conversation we were having.”

“Of course,” Apple Bloom rolled her eyes with a chuckle.

Silver Spoon turned back to Elecmon. “You said Patamon was his partner. Does that mean that he was a DigiDestined?” Elecmon nodded and pointed to the picture again. By T.K.’s foot was a small blue backpack, and on the side of it was a turquoise Digivice. “How old is he in this picture? Are all humans that size?”

“No,” Elecmon shook his head. “T.K. was very young when he first came here. Eight years old, I believe.”

“Whoa, only eight?” Babs Seed asked. “He was eight years old and had to go saving the Digital World by himself?”

“No! Goodness no,” Elecmon laughed. “He was part of a larger group of children that came here. You see, a long time ago, an evil Digimon sought to control the island. When the DigiDestined came to stop him, he split the island apart into seven pieces, and sent each of them to a piece of it. He thought if he could separate them, his plans wouldn’t be threatened.”

“Anyway, T.K. and Patamon found their way here while I was out getting food for the babies. When I came back, I found most of the Digimon crying, and those two going around from crib to crib. Given the circumstances, I assumed that they were troublemakers and tried to fend them off. Patamon and I fought for a bit before T.K. told us both to stop. He didn’t want to see us fight, and saw that we were only scaring the babies.”

“So, what happened then?” Rumble asked. Elecmon looked up to see everyone enraptured by his story.

“Well like I said, T.K. didn’t want to see us fight.” Elecmon continued. “So, he had us talk about the situation, and ultimately come to an understanding of one another.”

“...That’s it?” Scootaloo asked.

“Yep,” Elecmon nodded.

“Really?” Veemon asked. “Because I heard that T.K. had you and Patamon settle your fight with a tug-o-war match, which you lost.”

“What?” Elecmon exclaimed. “I...uh...who told you that?”

“That’s...just what I heard,” Veemon said.

“Well it’s not true!” Elecmon said quickly.

“Are you sure?” Terriermon asked. “I heard that too. And you seem to be awfully defensive about—”

“Were you there when it happened?” Elecmon asked.

“Well no, but—”

“Then you can’t prove it. So drop it!”

“Alright, alright!” Terriermon put his paws up. “Sheesh…”

Babs Seed snickered and leaned over to Veemon. “I think you struck a nerve there,” she whispered. Veemon covered his mouth to suppress a giggle.

“You said there were others with him, right?” Apple Bloom asked. “What happened to ‘em?”

“Oh, they actually met up here,” Elecmon said. “They defeated the evil Digimon, Devimon, and brought File Island back together.” He turned a few more pages into the scrapbook before stopping at another photo. “Here’s a picture of them with all the friends they made while they were here.”

“Anyway, after they defeated Devimon, they were needed at—”

“What’s his deal?” Apple Bloom asked, pointing to the human in the picture with goggles on.

Elecmon looked down at the picture. “Oh that’s Tai and his partner Agumon. What about him?”

“What in tarnation is wrong with his hair?”

Babs Seed trotted over to Apple Bloom, peering over her shoulder. “What about it?” she asked.

“It looks like he got out of bed, stepped in front of a fan, put on some goggles, and went on with his day!”

“I think it’s kinda cool.”

Apple Bloom slowly turned to Babs Seed. “Cool…” she said. “You think that ridiculous hair style...is cool?”

“...Yeah?” Babs Seed nodded.

Apple Bloom stared at Babs for a few moments with a slack jaw and a twitching eye. She looked down, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She then looked back up to Babs Seed with a smile, draping a foreleg onto her back. “Babs…” she began. “You know I love ya. And I hope one day, you’ll be able to open your own salon and get to be some big shot stylist in Manehattan.”

“Well...thanks cuz,” Babs Seed said. “I’m glad you have high hopes for—”

“But I swear, if I ever find out that you gave somepony a haircut like this,” Apple Bloom continued. “I will come down to Manehattan, hunt you down, hogtie ya to a chair, and shave that mane of yours off myself!”

Babs’ pupils shrank to pinpricks as she took a couple steps back. “You wouldn’t…” she whispered.

“Try me!” Apple Bloom grinned.

Babs Seed narrowed her eyes and smirked. “You think I’d let ya hogtie me just like that? I’d woop your tail so hard, you’ll be back in Ponyville asking yourself, ‘what in tarnation?’”

“Bring it on city filly, I know Kung Fu!” Apple Bloom got up on her hind legs and started doing a series of punches and kicks in the air. After trying to finish off with a spin kick though, she fell flat on her back with a yelp.

Everyone stared at her before bursting into another fit of laughter. “Truly, you possess the grace of a crane,” Babs said, doing an impression of a martial arts master, ending with a bow.

Apple Bloom rubbed her head as she got up. “I said I knew Kung Fu, didn’t say I was good at it,” she muttered.

“So, these guys saved File Island?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Well, yes,” Elecmon answered. “Shortly afterwards, they left for the Server continent across the sea. But they would eventually return to save the entire Digital World.”

Everyone listened as Elecmon told them the tale of a group of evil Digimon known as the Dark Masters, who took over the Digital World a few months after the DigiDestined left File Island. How they would reformat the Digital World into Spiral Mountain, corrupting Primary Village in the process, and rule it for years before the DigiDestined reappeared to stop them. They would then face the terrible Apocalymon, triumph over his dark powers, and save the Digital World.

“Before they went home, they took this picture,” Elecmon gestured to the group picture in the scrapbook.

“So they were able to go home after all that?” Scootaloo asked, to which Elecmon nodded.

“Do you know how they got home?” Silver Spoon asked.

“Nope, sorry,” Elecmon shrugged.

“Drat!” Silver Spoon muttered.

“And…you believe we’re like them?” Rumble asked. “That we could be heroes like those guys?”

Elecmon nodded. “From what I’ve seen so far, yes.”

Silver Spoon looked down and chuckled. “This is...this is crazy. What you’re saying is crazy. This whole mess we’re in...is crazy.”

Elecmon looked around the table, seeing the doubt in everyone’s eyes. “Look,” he sighed. “Despite everything I’ve said, I’m no expert on what makes a DigiDestined. I’m just going off of what I know and have seen so far. Whether or not any of it is true is another matter. But hopefully those answers will become clear soon.”

“In the meantime, you’re more than welcome to stay here,” Elecmon smiled. “It’s the least I could do.”

“Thank you Elecmon,” Sweetie Belle said. “And we’ll do anything we can to help you out around here, right girls?” Apple Bloom and Scootaloo nodded.

“Thank you, I appreciate that,” Elecmon said. “I’ve set up a few rooms upstairs for you all. You should get some rest.”

Everyone got up to help clean their places before heading off to bed. Despite the beds and the exhaustion from today’s ordeals, sleep would not come easy for some.

“Are you hungry little guy?” Sweetie Belle coed to the Poyomon in the crib.

“Poyo, Poyo,” Poyomon smiled.

“Here you go,” Sweetie Belle smiled as she levitated a baby bottle towards Poyomon, who happily suckled on it. As she fed the baby Digimon, a cry made her look up towards the field of cribs she was in. She saw her friends going from crib to crib, feeding the babies and ensuring everything was alright. Another cry came from the crib Veemon was hovering over.

“What’s the matter? Aren’t you hungry?” Veemon asked, picking up a small black Digimon with yellow eyes from the crib. He glanced down into the crib. “Is there something wrong with—” He leaned back with a sour look on his face. “Oh...clean up on aisle twelve! Hey Bearmon, could you give me a hand?”

“I’m a little busy here,” Bearmon said from a few cribs over, feeding a red Digimon with small spikes.

Veemon put down the black Digimon and turned to Bearmon’s direction. “But what am I supposed to do about this?” He turned back to the crib to find the black Digimon gone. “Hey! Where’d you go Botamon?” He spotted him hiding behind another one of the cribs before darting off. “Hey, where are you going? Come back here!”

Veemon chased after the little Botamon, passing by Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Babs Seed and Silver Spoon. “Well...someone’s havin’ fun with this,” Apple Bloom said as she fed a green Digimon named Datiramon. “Is he always like that Babs?”

Babs Seed looked up from feeding a Paomon. She watched as Veemon struggled to catch Botamon, who was nothing but a little black blur darting from crib to crib. Just when it appeared he would get the agile little Digimon, Veemon tripped on a rubber ball, sending him flat on his back. He sat up as Botamon looked back from behind a block building, making a gurgling noise that resembled a chuckle before disappearing behind the building. Veemon laid back on the soft ground with a groan.

Babs Seed chuckled. “Yeah, he kinda has a knack for charging in without thinking. But his heart’s in the right place, even if he does end up making a goofball of himself.”

“GAH!”

Everyone looked over to see Guilmon with a Pabumon, a slimey green Digimon that emanated small green bubbles, who had attached itself to Guilmon’s muzzle. The ponies could see small bits of mashed fruit all over Guilmon’s face, which Pabumon eagerly sucked up as Guilmon tried to pry him loose.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to spill it. I just wanted a taste!” Guilmon pleaded. He shook his head in an attempt to get him off his nose, during which he stumbled back into Pabumon’s empty crib. As Pabumon expanded himself to suck up the fruit covering Guilmon’s face, Guilmon did the only thing he could. “Heeeellllp!” he cried, flailing his arms and legs. “I’m stuck, and Pabumon’s trying to eat my face! HE’S EATING MY FACE!”

Scootaloo watched as Elecmon came to the rescue, coaxing Pabumon to release him. “Wanna compare notes?” she chuckled.

Babs shook her head and laughed. “Yeah, you got a grade-A goofball for a partner didn’t ya?”

A groan made everypony look at Silver Spoon, who slammed an empty milk bottle into a nearby crate with several others. “What’s your problem? Who spat in your applesauce this mornin’?” Apple Bloom asked as she placed Datiramon back into his crib.

Silver Spoon glared at Apple Bloom. “My problem is the fact that you all are eating this whole “Digimon partner” nonsense like it’s a batch of cookies that just came out of the oven!”

“So you’re mad at us for having an opinion of our new friends?” Scootaloo shot back.

“No, I’m mad because two days ago, I was heading to summer camp with my friends,” Silver Spoon said. “I would have been able to at least tolerate the bugs and dirt for the week because I knew I would be back home soon. Instead, we’re stuck in another world, surrounded by monsters, and with no idea how to get back.”

“Well, yeah but—” Apple Bloom began.

“I’m upset,” Silver Spoon continued. “Because last night, we were told that we’re supposed to be some sort of heroes that will save the Digital World from...I don’t even know what!”

Everypony shared a glance before looking back to Silver Spoon.

“And I’m grouchy right now…” Silver Spoon started before looking down with a sigh. “Because some of what Elecmon said is actually starting to make sense.”

“Wait, what?” Apple Bloom asked.

Silver Spoon nodded. “I’ve been trying to deny it, but these Digimon have some kind of a connection to us. When we first got here, Guilmon, Armadillomon, and Palmon had no obligation to help us. And yet they saved our lives when we were attacked by Kuwagamon, and stuck with us afterwards.” She looked up and spotted Terriermon in the field of cribs, carrying a couple of empty milk bottles. “And when we needed help in the prison, Terriermon and Veemon were there to protect us. The latter of which digivolved when Babs was about to get beaten up by one of the guards.”

Silver Spoon looked to Babs Seed. “Her Digivice lit up without her touching it as he evolved into Veemon. And the same thing happened with Guilmon and Armadillomon. Elecmon might be right, we really might be DigiDestined.” She looked down with her ears folded against her head. “And that scares me…”

“Why is that scary?” Apple Bloom asked

“Yeah,” Scootaloo said. “Haven’t you ever dreamed about being a hero? Ever imagined what it would be like to stop the bad guy and save the world?”

“I don’t think there’s a filly or colt in Equestria that hasn’t fantasized about being a hero at some point,” Silver Spoon admitted. “Especially if you live in the same town as six of the nation’s greatest heroes. But then one day, you suddenly get told you’re meant to be one and then—”

“It turns out to be a bigger pill to swallow than you thought it would be?” Babs Seed interrupted.

“Yes, exactly!” Silver Spoon said.

Babs Seed nodded as she put Paomon back into her crib. “I hear ya. Last night I was havin’ a little trouble sleeping after Elecmon’s little speech. I mean, out of all the ponies in Equestria, why us? What makes us so special?”

“You know I asked my big sister the same thing,” Apple Bloom said. “Before Twilight showed up in Ponyville, she was just an ordinary, down to earth apple farmer. And yet, the night that Nightmare Moon returned, she became the bearer of the Element of Honesty. Why her? Honesty ain’t exactly an uncommon trait in Ponyville, why didn’t it go to Lyra Heartstrings or that stallion who runs Sofas and Quills? Was it because Applejack was the first pony to reach the element and she happened to fit the bill?”

“And...what did she say?” Babs Seed asked. Apple Bloom looked up to see she had the attention of not just Babs, Scootaloo, and Silver Spoon, but a few Fresh and In-Training Digimon had gathered to listen to the story.

“Well, she didn’t know what to think at first. It might have been some kind of destiny or sheer dumb luck. But as time went on and Applejack and her friends kept savin’ Equestria, she said that maybe she was meant to find the Element of Honesty that night.”

“And what, you think that may be the case with us?” Silver Spoon asked.

Apple Bloom shook her head. “I don’t know what to think.”

“That’s my point! There’s too much that we don’t know. Let’s say that we are DigiDestined; what happens now? What are we supposed to do?”

“Well—” Apple Bloom started.

The bellow of a horn made everyone look up from the field. Another blast echoed throughout the village, reverberating off of the block buildings. A couple of the In-Training Digimon near the ponies groaned, while others looked worried.

“What’s goin’ on?” Apple Bloom asked.

“That's the alarm horn,” one of the In-Training Digimon said. “They sound it whenever the Gotsumon see an attack coming!”

“Or when it's just a drill,” another Digimon muttered.

“Well, which one is it?” Babs asked.

“Alright everyone,” Elecmon said with a smile. “You all know the what to do. Get to your safe zones quickly, and stay calm.”

All the In-Training Digimon began to file out of the crib fields and move deeper into the village. A few Gotsumon came by and began to gently pick up some of the baby Digimon from the cribs before joining the sudden exodus.

Apple Bloom walked over to Elecmon. Looking over her shoulder, she could see her friends had the same concerns as she did as they made their way over to her.

“Hey Elecmon?” Bearmon asked. “What’s going on? Why didn’t you tell me about the evacuation drill?”

“Uh...did I not tell you?” Elecmon rubbed the back of his head, laughing sheepishly. “I’m so sorry. Why don’t you all follow me for a second so I can fill you in.” Before anyone could say anything, Elecmon was already on all fours, quickly making his way to a vacant area of the crib fields. Bearmon looked back to everyone, shrugging before following Elecmon.

As everyone gathered around Elecmon, Sweetie Belle was the first one to speak up. “So, what’s going on? I keep hearing something about an evacuation drill? Why didn’t you tell us about this?”

Elecmon made sure no other Digimon were nearby before looking back to Sweetie Belle, his smile vanishing. “I didn’t tell you about the drill because there isn’t a drill scheduled for today,” Elecmon said.

“Wait, so are ya sayin’ that…” Babs Seed trailed off.

Elecmon nodded. “The Gotsumon only sound that horn if there is a scheduled drill, or if there’s an incoming attack that could overwhelm the village.”

Sweetie Belle glanced back to the Digimon filing out of the crib fields. “Shouldn’t we tell them what’s going on?”

“No,” Elecmon said. “The last thing we need is for everyone to panic. I need you all to help with the evacuation.”

“What do we need to do?” Scootaloo asked.

“Work with the Gotsumon to get all the Digimon to the center of the village. There are some huts that the Gotsumon built that can take a beating if it comes to that. Get them inside, and try to keep them calm.”

“Sounds easy enough.”

“Yeah, barbarians are at the gate and we just have to act like everything’s okay.” Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes. “What if they break through?”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” Elecmon replied. “Right now, focus on getting everyone to safety!” With that, Elecmon dashed off to a nearby field where a small group of Digimon were still playing.

“Well y’all heard him,” Apple Bloom said before starting back into the crib field. “Let’s get goin!”

As Rumble took a few steps forward as he followed the group, but stopped when he saw Bearmon had not moved a single inch. He stood still, taking shallow breaths as he watched the Digimon file into the village. “Bearmon?” Rumble asked, getting a startled gasp in return. “Are you alright?”

“Uh...yeah,” Bearmon nodded, averting his gaze from Rumble. “Come on, let’s get to work.”

Rumble started picking up baby Digimon from the cribs, occasionally shooting Bearmon a concerned glance.

Meanwhile, Veemon helped to direct the flow of Digimon to the shelters. After watching the stream of villagers pass for a few minutes though, he noticed that someone was missing. He quickly made his way over to Babs Seed, who was nervously holding a baby Digimon that resembled a large cherry bomb with three eyes, complete with a burning fuse. “Hey Babs, have you seen Botamon?”

“Who?” Babs Seed asked, not taking her eyes off the potentially explosive Digimon in her hooves.

“The little black Digimon from earlier.”

“Oh, the one you were chasing? Nah, haven’t seen him. Hey, you think you can help me out with this little firecracker?”

The Digimon in Babs’ hooves glared at her, and its fuse seemed to burn a little bit faster. “Alright first off, his name is Bombmon,” Veemon corrected. “Second, it’s probably not a good idea to get him mad.”

“Oh,” Babs Seed chuckled. “Uh...sorry little guy. Didn’t mean to get you all fired up.” Bombmon’s fuse burned faster still. “Oh geez I’m makin’ things worse, aren’t I?” Babs Seed stayed silent as she hoofed Bombmon to a nearby Gotsumon. “Alright, so what’s this about Botamon?”

“I’ve been directing the traffic back there for awhile now, and I can’t find the little guy anywhere.”

“Well, maybe ya just didn’t see him.”

“I don’t know…” Veemon looked around.

“Alright,” Babs Seed sighed. “If it helps your conscience, we’ll look for him for a little bit. But he’s probably somewhere safe already.”

“Still, I’ve got this...gut feeling,” Veemon said as he made his way to the buildings where he last saw Botamon.

“Well you did eat a lot of fish last night,” Babs chuckled, following his lead.

“That’s it, keep movin’ y'all,” Apple Bloom smiled. She watched as the Digimon made their way into one of several huts built in the center of the village. Much like the surrounding buildings, these huts appeared to be made of giant children’s building blocks. Instead of being made of felt however, these blocks were solid.

Looking back Apple Bloom saw Armadillomon, who had a few baby Digimon riding on his shell, making his way towards the hut she was near. Behind him was Elecmon carrying a couple of Digi-Eggs. All of her friends were helping to either carry the baby Digimon, or direct traffic. “So far, so good,” she whispered. A glimmer in the corner of her eye made her look to a field of eggs nearby. She turned to see a red Digi-Egg with yellow spots materialize in the fields. Not five seconds later, three more of the same color scheme appeared.

Apple Bloom turned towards Elecmon, who stared at the new eggs with concern. After putting down the eggs he was carrying, Elecmon made his way over to Apple Bloom. “Tell your friends to stay on their guard,” he whispered. “They’re probably inside.”

“Wait, are those eggs—” Apple Bloom whispered. Elecmon gave a curt nod before focusing on the evacuation again. Aw, crabapples… Apple Bloom thought as another red and yellow egg appeared in the field. Alright, stay calm Apple Bloom. Everything’s gonna be fine. Just get the little ones safe and sound, and let the Gotsumon take care of the rest. Their mighty serious about protectin’ that wall, there’s no way they’ll let anything—

The sound of ripped fabric and a burst of feathers made Apple Bloom look up in time to see a Gotsumon fly through a block building, bouncing across the ground before landing on his back, dazed. “Oh...that ain’t good,” Armadillomon said. A few moments later two Gazimon came around the corner. “Definitely not good!” he shouted as the Gazimon charged.

“SUPER THUNDER STRIKE!” Elecmon yelled as he lept into the air, discharging a powerful bolt of electricity from his tail and reducing the Gazimon to data in moments. The moment he landed on the ground, Elecmon turned to the Digimon gawking at him. “Get everyone inside now!”

The Digimon, now understanding the gravity of the situation, began to rush for the shelters. “Easy, single file, single file!” Sweetie Belle said from the shelter she was near, until more Gazimon appeared. “Okay nevermind, all at once, all at once!”

Terriermon and Bearmon rushed to stop the Gazimon. “TERRIER TORNADO!” Terriermon spun into a green tornado, knocking aside a couple of Gazimon in the process.

Bearmon charged to one of the Gazimon. “KARATE FIST!” he shouted, sending one of the Gazimon flying. He turned to face the other one, only to be knocked to the ground as he was tackled. As the two Digimon grappled on the ground, Bearmon looked into the Gazimon’s eyes. What he saw made him stop struggling for a moment. Instead of the yellow eyes Gazimon naturally possessed, the Gazimon that Bearmon was fighting had red eyes, with faint dark purple veins running outwards from them.

As Bearmon struggled against the Gazimon, he caught a red blur of motion out of the corner of his eye. A moment later, the Gazimon stopped struggling, falling onto his side before shattering into data. Bearmon looked up, nodding to Hawkmon as his red feather spun back to him. Glancing back to the Gazimon’s DigiCore, he noticed a faint purple wisp dissipate from it before the orb floated to the nearby eggs, rematerializing as a Digi-Egg.

“Please tell me this is all the Digimon,” Palmon pleaded as a few more Digimon rushed into the shelters.

“I don’t think so,” Elecmon shook his head. “There may be some stragglers in the village. We need to find them and get them back here. Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Rumble, Guilmon, Palmon, and Bearmon, I need you to come with me to help look for any other Digimon. The rest of you, stay here and protect the little ones!”

“Wait, where’s Babs?” Apple Bloom asked, her head darting left to right. “Don’t tell me those goons took her again!”

“I think I saw her go off with Veemon earlier,” Scootaloo said.

“If we see her, we’ll tell her to come back here,” Elecmon assured Apple Bloom, before turning to the rest of his team. “Let’s go!”

Silver Spoon watched Elecmon lead their friends back into the village before trotting up to Apple Bloom. “For what it’s worth, I know Babs isn’t afraid to take on one of those deranged cat-rabbit...things. And she’s got Veemon with her, who I’ve seen wipe the floor with them without breaking a sweat.”

“Alright, I get it,” Apple Bloom nodded. “She’ll be fine.”

“Glad to hear that, because right now we got bigger things to worry about,” Silver Spoon glanced at the huts. “Like how we’re going to protect these guys from a full on assault…”

“Here Botamon,” Veemon beckoned as he looked behind a makeshift fort made of pillows and toys. “Where are you little guy?”

Babs Seed looked back, the sounds of fighting growing louder as time went on. If we don’t find the little guy soon, then they will! she thought. A high pitched gurgling sound came from between two block buildings. “Hey Veemon, I think I heard somethin’ coming from over here.” Babs crept into the alley with Veemon right behind her. Babs stopped, motioning to a corner of the alley where a pile of old stuffed animals sat. On top of the pile, was a stuffed orange T-rex, which seemed to be quivering.

Babs crept closer to the pile of stuffed animals. “Botamon, are you in there?” she whispered, watching as the stuffed dinosaur’s quivering intensified. “It’s alright, I won’t hurt ya.” She crept closer until she was able to gently lift the cute little dinosaur up to reveal the scared little Botamon. She offered it a comforting smile before extending her hoof to it. “Why don’t we get you someplace safe, huh?”

Botamon glanced from Babs Seed’s hoof to her smile. He edged closer to her before glancing over her shoulder. He quickly backed into the stuffed animal pile, quivering again.

“Aww, what’s the matter?” Babs Seed chuckled before looking over her shoulder. “Don’t tell me you’re scared of—” Her eyes widened. “VEEMON, WATCH OUT!”

Veemon turned in time to see a Gazimon leap from the alley entrance. He leapt into the air, spinning around to deliver an aerial kick, putting the Gazimon on his back. Glancing behind him, Veemon spotted Babs scooping the Botamon up in her forelegs. He turned his focus back to the Gazimon, who was already back on all fours, glaring at Veemon with his red eyes. “Alright pal, you wanna play with them?” Veemon asked. “You gotta go through me first!”

The Gazimon hunkered down, back legs tensing as he prepared to pounce. Suddenly, he froze, his eyes squeezed shut and his claws shook as he reached his head. He gripped his head, moaning in agony as Veemon and Babs Seed watched. After a few moments, he lifted his face up from his claws, his eyes having reverted back to their natural yellow and filled with fear.

“P-please…” Gazimon stuttered, his bottom lip quivering. “Help me!”

Babs Seed and Veemon stared at Gazimon. “What do you mean?” Babs asked. “What’s wrong with you?”

Gazimon opened his mouth to answer, but all that came out was a strangled groan. “No…” Gazimon groaned, putting his claws back on his head, his breathing starting to get erratic. “Get out of my head! GET OOOUUT!” His eyes squeezed shut again as faint dark veins grew from them. When he opened them again, they had turned back to a menacing red. He let out a low growl as he charged.

Veemon snapped out of his stupor, getting low and putting his fists up before charging. The second that Gazimon leapt into the air, Veemon bounced off the trampoline-like ground, launching himself like a missile. “VEE HEADBUTT!” he shouted as he collided with Gazimon, headfirst. As Gazimon bounced across the ground, Veemon kept in pursuit with a smirk on his face. Veemon bounced off the ground again, bouncing between the two buildings to gain height. Finishing with a flip, Veemon dove down to the Gazimon, delivering a kick to his gut before back flipping a few feet away.

“Booyah!” Veemon yelled as Gazimon burst into blue shards. Veemon spread his arms out, ready to absorb his opponent’s data, but stopped when he saw his DigiCore. Coiled around the pulsing white orb like an ivy vine around a tree, was a purple cloud. As Gazimon’s data faded into the Digital World, the dark cloud dissipated. Babs and Veemon watched as the DigiCore, free from the ghostly parasite, floated deeper into the village.

“What was that?” Babs Seed asked.

“You got me,” Veemon shrugged.

“You think that was why he was acting like that?”

“Maybe.”

“And why his eyes were red?”

“Possibly.”

A gurgling from Babs’ forelegs reminded them of the Botamon they were looking for. “Yeah, you’re right,” Babs giggled as she put Botamon on her back. “Let’s get ya outta here first.”

“Just make sure he doesn’t run off again,” Veemon rolled his eyes as he made his way towards the alleyway entrance. After making sure it was all clear, Veemon motioned Babs Seed to follow.

“Alright, but can I ask you something?”

“Hmm?”

“That bit of parkour back there? That was just showin’ off, wasn’t it?”

“SUPER THUNDER STRIKE!” Elecmon shouted as he blasted another Gazimon.

“POISON IVY!” Palmon threw her vines forward to catch a Gazimon moving towards a cornered Digimon. “Get to the safe zone!” She yelled to the Digimon as her vine’s toxins paralyzed the Gazimon. The Digimon nodded before taking off towards the village center. Another Gazimon jumped out from behind a building, intent on catching the little Digimon.

“PYRO SPHERE!” The Gazimon barely had time to find the source of the shout before a fireball sent him into a building, leaving a trail of data as he flew.

“We need to cover more ground,” Elecmon said. “Everyone split up!”

“Got it, let's go Bearmon!” Rumble said.

“Alright,” Bearmon nodded.

As the two split off from the rest of the group, Rumble couldn't help but glance at Bearmon. He would see his head dart side to side as they ran, the same worried look from before still etched in his eyes.

“Bearmon, what's wrong?” Rumble asked.

Bearmon glanced back to Rumble. “My home is being attacked, and you ask me what's wrong!”

Rumble slowed down a bit, ears folded back at Bearmon’s words. “I'm...sorry. I completely forgot that—”

“No, it's alright. I shouldn't have snapped…” Bearmon sighed. “It’s just that...the last time the village was hit this hard, so many Digimon were taken.”

“HELP, HELP!”

Rumble looked up. “You hear that?”

Bearmon nodded. “Sounds like it came from over there!”

The duo turned left, down a street littered with toys and knocked down structures. After a few moments of running, they peered around a building to find three Gazimon that had cornered two Digimon.

“Bearmon, we gotta help them!” Rumble turned to Bearmon to find him staring at the conflict with quick breathes and wide eyes. “Bearmon...Bearmon?”

Bearmon only starred, his paws beginning to shake.

“Bearmon!”

“We gotta go now Tsunomon!” DemiVeemon shouted.

“O-Okay…” Tsunomon nodded as he hopped out from behind the fort they were building before all the chaos broke loose. He kept his eyes on DemiVeemon, trying to ignore the shouts of panic and screams as Gazimon ran through the streets, grabbing Digimon and Digi-Eggs alike. The two made their way to a set of wrecked playground equipment, hiding underneath a plastic dome.

“Wh-Why are they doing this?” Tsunomon asked, trying to catch his breath. “What do they want?”

“How should I know?” DemiVeemon asked as he peered out from beneath the dome. After making sure the coast was clear, he waddled back to his shaking friend. “Listen, we’ll hide here until they leave or until Elecmon kicks their butts, okay buddy?”

“But...what if they find us?”

DemiVeemon smiled. “You’ve got a horn, don’t you?”

“But you know I can’t fight!” Tsunomon protested.

“Shh, quiet!” DemiVeemon whispered. The two Digimon looked up as they heard the buzz of insect wings pass above them. The buzzing grew louder and louder, making Tsunomon start to shake again. After a few tense moments the buzzing stopped suddenly.

Silence reigned for a while until Tsunomon broke it. “Are they gone?” he whispered.

Several talons pierced the dome, the plastic cracking as it was torn off of the ground. The two Digimon looked up to see a Flymon looming over them. “RUN FOR IT!” DemiVeemon yelled.

Tsunomon didn’t need to be told twice as he hopped away from the playground. He could hear the Flymon discard the torn plastic dome before taking off. He hopped faster and faster, not daring to look back as he heard the Flymon’s buzzing get louder and louder. In seconds, the buzzing had become deafening, and Tsunomon could feel the force from the Flymon’s wings behind him.

As he braced himself for the inevitable, Tsunomon felt something slam into his side, sending him tumbling to the side of the street. The sound of buzzing insect wings faded as he shook himself off. Looking back, he saw no sign of any Digimon behind him. His eyes widened once he realized that. “DemiVeemon?” Tsunomon said. “DemiVeemon? Where are you!” He looked up, seeing the Flymon from earlier in the distance as he carried a small, squirming blue Digimon in his talons.

As Tsunomon sat there watching the Flymon carry away his best friend, the sounds of the ongoing struggle around him faded into white noise. The Digimon who always played with him, who always was there to cheer him up when he felt down, who always stood up for him when he was bullied by Pagumon, was gone in an instant. As the Flymon faded into the horizon, Tsunomon’s vision began to get misty. “Pagumon was right…” Tsunomon thought. “I’m nothing but a stupid, scared little fuzzball!”

“Hey, I found another one!” a voice shouted. Tsunomon barely turned to see two Gazimon walking up to him. Deep down, he knew that he should be running, but he couldn’t move. Not because he was tired or scared, but because he simply couldn’t find the will to move.

“LIGHTNING KNIFE!”

The Gazimon looked up before a small barrage of blade shaped lightning bolts hit them. As they fell to the ground, stunned, Tsunomon felt two paws quickly lift him off of the ground and carry him off. “Hey, are you alright Tsunomon?”

Tsunomon looked up to Elecmon’s concerned face as the dam within him broke loose. “Elecmon…” Tsunomon cried. “DemiVeemon is...gone!”

Elecmon looked down. “I know…”

“We-we gotta do something!”

Elecmon shook his head. “I’m sorry, but there’s nothing we can do now. The only thing I can do is get you and as many Digimon as I can to safety.”

“But...what about—”

“Let’s go!”

“NOOOO!” Tsunomon cried.

“No…” Bearmon whispered. He looked down at his shaking paws. “No…”

“Bearmon, what’s wrong!” Rumble shouted.

But Bearmon didn’t hear him. He didn’t hear anything. He could only see his shaking paws. When he looked up, he saw the Gazimon cornering DemiVeemon and himself in his In-Training form. He closed his eyes, letting his paws rest at his side before clenching them into fists. “No…” he growled, feeling a small flame ignite in his heart.

“B-Bearmon?” Rumble whispered as Bearmon approached the Gazimon.

“You won’t take them,” Bearmon growled. “I won’t let you take another Digimon from this place!”

Rumble’s Digivice began to glow.

“NEVER AGAIN!” A light enveloped Bearmon, and the small flame grew into a roaring fire.

Bearmon digivolve to…
Grizzlymon!

Rumble looked at the large Digimon that stood before him. True to his name, Grizzlymon resembled a full grown grizzly bear. Bearmon’s black coat of fur was replaced with a night blue one, with a portion of fluffier, lighter blue fur on his upper back and head. Red armor adorned his shoulders and front paws, the claws on the gauntlets razor sharp. And a crescent moon was emblazoned on his forehead.

The Gazimon turned towards the new challenger as he stood on his hind legs, towering over everyone in the area. “Leave...now!” Grizzlymon growled, his voice having gotten much deeper. Instead of heeding his warning however, the Gazimon charged him. “Suit yourself.” Grizzlymon raised his forelegs, claws at the ready.

One of the Gazimon leapt in the air, aiming for Grizzlymon’s face. “CRESCENT DAWN!” Grizzlymon yelled, swiping the Gazimon out of the air. The remaining Gazimon dashed to his sides in an attempt to flank him. Grizzlymon stood his ground, waiting for them to make their move. Two of the Gazimon leapt at him, only to have Grizzlymon knock them out of the air before he delivered a final blow to each of them as they hit the ground.

As the two Gazimon dissolved into data, the first Gazimon snuck up from behind him. As he leapt in the air, claws raised to strike, Grizzlymon turned around, raised his left paw to block the attack, then delivered a powerful jab with his right paw. The Gazimon bounced off the building, dissolving as he landed next to the DigiCores of his fallen comrades.

As Grizzlymon watched the data emanate off the DigiCores, Rumble trotted up next to him, making sure to keep maintain some distance. “Why don’t you absorb their data?” Rumble asked.

Grizzlymon shook his head. “There’s no honor in preying upon the weak.” He turned to the two In-Training Digimon looking up at him in awe. “Go on now, best you get somewhere safe, quickly.”

The two Digimon nodded and hopped off. Before they vanished around the corner however, one of them turned back and smiled. “Thanks Grizzlymon!”

Grizzlymon let a brief smile grace his face before turning down to Rumble. “We’d better get a move on, there are still plenty of Digimon we need to save.”

“Right,” Rumble nodded, following Grizzlymon as he lumbered off.

“More coming in from the left!” A Gotsumon shouted, pointing to a couple of Gazimon dashing for the huts. “ROCK FIST!” he shouted as he fired a fired a rock from his head. As the rock struck one of the Gazimon, a spinning Armadillomon slammed into the other one.

Silver Spoon watched the battle playing out before her. There were only two Gotsumon left to defend the huts, the others having been overwhelmed by the ferocious Gazimon. Those two Gotsumon, along with Armadillomon, Terriermon, and Hawkmon, were the last line of defense for the Digimon inside.

“BUNNY BLAST!” Silver Spoon turned in time to see Terriermon launch another ball of green energy at a Gazimon. The little guy had been holding his own for awhile, much like the rest of their Digimon friends, but the ongoing battle of attrition was beginning to take its toll. She could see this not just on Terriermon, but Hawkmon and Armadillomon were a bit short of breath as well.

“Come on ya’ll, just hang in there!” Apple Bloom said. “There can’t be that much more of them!”

Armadillomon looked to see another wave coming in. A whimper came from within the hut he was near. “We need more help!” he yelled.

Terriermon looked at the Gazimon charging in, and time seemed to slow down. No… he thought. No one can reach us in time. He looked to the remaining Gotsumon. We’re all that’s left. We’re the only ones who can protect these little guys! He looked over to the huts housing the Digimon, and to Silver Spoon. We need to be strong. I need to be strong. Strong for the village, and strong for my friends!

A series of chirps caused Silver Spoon to look down at her now glowing Digivice.

Terriermon digivolve to…
Gargomon!

Silver Spoon looked up from her Digivice to see Terriermon’s new form. Gargomon was much bigger now, even bigger than Guilmon. He now sported a pair of jeans and a bandolier slung across his left shoulder. His paws were metallic, with a gatling gun on each wrist. And his face was marked with a red diamond on his forehead, and two red stripes on each cheek.

A battle cry made Gargomon turn towards the oncoming horde of Gazimon. He raised his two gatling guns, a smirk on his face. “GARGO LASER!” Gargomon blasted the Gazimon with green lasers, reducing them to data. Another group came near Apple Bloom and Armadillomon, and was quickly blasted by Gargomon.

Armadillomon gave Gargomon a nod. “Nice shot Gargomon!” Gargomon kept blasting away, a grin still on his face. “Um...Gargomon?”

“Get some! Get some! Hahaha!” Gargomon laughed.

“I think he’s losin’ it…” Apple Bloom took a step back.

“Oh dear…” Hawkmon said as he pulled Diamond Tiara to cover.

Gargomon blasted left and right, annihilating every single Gazimon that came within a hundred feet of the huts. After a couple minutes of blasting, Gargomon lowered his smoking gatling guns and absorbed the remaining data that hadn’t dissipated.

“Yeah, how do you like me now!” Gargomon cheered. He looked back to see everyone cowering behind a couple of the huts. “What’s wrong? What are you so afraid of?”

“Um…” Silver Spoon started. “Are you feeling alright?”

“Oh yeah, this is incredible! Why?” Gargomon eventually turned to where Silver Spoon was staring. All around him, several structures had been knocked down, and had several burn marks. “Oh…” Gargomon turned back to Silver Spoon, looking more than a little sheepish. “Did I do that?”

Everyone nodded.

Gargomon rubbed the back of his head. “Ehehehe...oops.”

“Apple Bloom!”

Apple Bloom turned to see Babs Seed and Veemon rush in, the former of whom had Botamon on her back. “Are you alright? We saw the smoke and came runnin’. What happened here?”

“We’re alright Babs, all thanks to Gargomon,” Apple Bloom said. “And in the process he...kinda made a mess of the place.”

Rapid, yet heavy footfalls echoed through the smoke. Everyone turned, ready for another attack, until Elecmon leaped through the smoke. “Is everyone alright? Are the huts still in one—” His eyes widened. “Sweet merciful Sovereigns, what happened here!”

“Uh…” Gargomon started. “Well you see, the Gazimon swarmed through here and they tore the place a new—”

“Gargomon did it!” Veemon pointed to Gargomon, who starred at Veemon with a slack jaw. Veemon turned back to the smoke with a smug grin on his face, which turned slack as Grizzlymon and the rest of the gang lumbered onto the scene. “Bearmon, did you digivolve...again?”

“Yes, yes I did,” Grizzlymon nodded.

Veemon threw his arms up into the air. “Is this gonna become a regular thing now! I leave you alone for a bit, and you digivolve to the next stage?”

“Jealous?” Grizzlymon smirked.

“Yes, extremely!”

Babs shook her head and laughed. “So, is that it? Is it over?”

A horn bellowed a triumphant note throughout the village. “It is now,” Elecmon gave a sigh of relief.

As Digimon began emerging from the huts, Grizzlymon and Gargomon began to glow. Everyone watched as the two Champion level Digimon quickly reverted to their Rookie forms and collapsed on the ground, exhausted.

“Bearmon, you alright?” Rumble asked, putting a hoof on his back.

“Yeah, give me a moment,” Bearmon nodded.

“How about you Terriermon?” Silver Spoon picked up the little Digimon. “Why are you so tired?”

“Don’t know,” Terriermon shook his head. “I was all fired up a second ago…”

“I noticed,” Silver Spoon said, deadpan. “You kinda leveled the place.”

“Allegedly!”

Silver Spoon gave him a flat look as a small structure behind her collapsed.

“...Alright, guilty as charged.” Terriermon chuckled.

“Well, I hope you can get on your feet soon,” Elecmon smiled. “Because now you’ve got to help clean up the mess.”

Terriermon fell back on the ground with a groan.

On a tower overlooking the huts in the village center, a small purple, spider-like machine Digimon clung to the surface. From this hidden position, it surveyed the area with the perception of a photographer, recording the aftermath of the battle and the curious four legged creatures near the huts.

Once the necessary data was gathered, the Digimon scurried off to the outskirts of the village, leaping from tower to tower to stay out of sight. After leaping over the wall, it met with two more of its kind. The Digimon chirped to its squadmates, communicating that their mission here was complete. The three Digimon turned to the forest scurrying off to report back to their master.

Scootaloo and Guilmon grunted as they pushed a large felt block towards a pile of debris. With one final push, the block joined the pile that was once a small tower. Catching her breath, Scootaloo took a moment to look around the village.

Thanks to the efforts of the Gotsumon, Elecmon, along with Scootaloo and her friends, no Digimon were taken. Despite the scale of the recent attack, the damage to the village was surprisingly minimal. There was the occasional damage to some of the village buildings, but the Gotsumon have assured that those repairs would be simple. The only real damage of note was done during Gargomon’s enthusiastic “defense” of the safe zone. Afterwards, Scootaloo and her friends worked to help clean up the aftermath of the battle, and to ensure the safety of any of the Digimon that couldn't make it to the shelters.

“Alright, that should do it,” a Gotsumon said. “Go ahead and join your friends, we’ll take it from here.”

Scootaloo nodded. “Thanks.”

“No, thank you for everything you’ve done here today.” The Gotsumon looked down for a moment. “And uh...sorry for making a bad first impression yesterday.”

“It’s cool,” Scootaloo chuckled. She trotted of to join the rest of her friends at a nearby picnic table. As they got closer to the table she could see a water cooler, along with a variety of fruits, vegetables, and snack foods. Digimon lined up to serve themselves a helping before finding a table, or a nice spot in the shade. Scootaloo grabbed some carrots, celery, peanut butter, and a roll before making her way to the table where her friends were seated. Guilmon meanwhile got some celery, a few bread rolls, and a large helping of peanut butter.

“So then Veemon jumps between the two buildings to gain some height before dive bombing the sucker!” Babs Seed said. “After that, we got the little guy to safety.”

“That is so cool!” Sweetie Belle smiled.

“Yeah, sounds like something out of a comic book,” Diamond Tiara nodded, taking a bite of pineapple. “I almost wish I’d been there.”

“I could say the same for you,” Babs Seed nodded towards Terriermon, who was stuffing himself with something that Bearmon called a rice ball. “Must have been cool seein’ him blastin’ away like that.”

“Yeah...it probably would’ve been cool. If we weren’t a few feet away from him, and if he wasn’t laughing like a maniac.”

Terriermon looked up from his plate, cheeks stuffed like a chipmunk. “Ay, ah shad ah wash—”

“Swallow,” Silver Spoon said, deadpan.

Terriermon complied, wiping his mouth with his arm. “Sorry,” he chuckled. “Anyway, I said I was sorry! What more do you want from me!”

“Maybe a little more self-control next time,” Apple Bloom muttered.

“I heard that! And if you wanna talk to someone about self control, maybe you should tell that to Guilmon.”

Scootaloo looked next to her to find that Guilmon had stopped eating the celery on his plate. Instead he was using it as a spoon to eat peanut butter. Seeing himself as the center of attention once again, he stopped eating, celery in his mouth. He glanced around the table for a few moments. “What?” he shrugged, dropping the celery back onto his plate.

“You are something else buddy,” Scootaloo chuckled.

Apple Bloom shook her head before turning back to Silver Spoon. “So…” she began, a smug look on her face. “Terriermon digivolved huh? Any idea how that might have happened?”

“Probably just another coincidence,” Silver Spoon smirked back before taking a sip of water.

“Oh come on! I saw your Digivice was glowin’ the moment he digivolved, don’t deny it! After all that, are ya seriously tellin’ me that you still don’t believe what Elecmon said might be true?”

Silver Spoon put down her drink, giving a small chuckle. “Well...I’ll admit it is getting harder to deny the possibility,” she sighed. Turning to Terriermon, she smiled before gently rubbing his head. “Though if it is true, I suppose I wouldn’t mind having him as a partner.”

Guilmon perked up for a moment. “Hey Scootaloo, how come you didn’t digivolve? Or your friends?”

Scootaloo stopped in the middle of taking a bite of celery. “Uh…” she looked up to her friends, sending a silent call for help.

“Well?” Sweetie Belle said, doing a terrible job at hiding her chuckles.

Scootaloo shot her a quick glare before turning to Guilmon, eager for a response. “Well because, uh…”

“So, how is everything?” Elecmon interrupted.

Oh thank Celestia! Scootaloo thought.

“Everything's great Elecomon,” Sweetie Belle said.

“I’m glad to hear it,” Elecmon nodded. Despite the smile on his face, he couldn’t help but look to the surrounding damages.

“What is it Elecmon? The damage can be fixed, right?”

“I wouldn’t worry about that child,” Elecmon chuckled. “This place has suffered worse in the past. Completely destroyed at one point, as a matter of fact. Whatever’s destroyed can be rebuilt.”

“Then what's troubling you?” Hawkmon asked.

Elecmon turned back to the village, his lips pursed. “Something about this attack didn't feel right…”

“What do you mean?” Rumble asked.

“In the past, the Gazimon’s attacks were more organized. This one seemed less of an attack and more like a frenzy.”

“Hmm…” Hawkmon lifted a wing to his beak. “They did seem to be a bit...unfocused. It was like they didn’t have a proper objective, they just attacked anything that moved.”

“You know, I think I remember seeing one of those Gazimon attack another one earlier today,” Sweetie Belle said.

“Wait, come again?” Diamond Tiara asked.

“Yeah,” Palmon confirmed. “We saw one of them had bumped into another Gazimon. The other one growled at him, threw him to the ground, then started hitting him. With a...rubber chicken.”

“Why would they start attacking each other? And over something like that?” Scootaloo asked.

“Well, they’re not exactly the sharpest tools in the shed,” Silver Spoon offered.

Apple Bloom looked over to her cousin, who was looking at her food like it had moved. “Something wrong Babs?”

Babs Seed looked up. “Well...back when we were rescuin’ Botamon, I forgot to mention somethin’. Right before he attacked us, he begged us to help him.”

“Hold on,” Diamond Tiara put a hoof up. “He asked you to help him destroy the village?”

“Case in point,” Silver Spoon muttered.

“No no, it was like he was askin’ us to save him from...himself’,” Babs twirled her hoof. “I don’t know how to say it but, it was like he was possessed or somethin’. Right before he spoke to us, his eyes turned yellow, and he was acting scared. But then his eyes turned red again before he charged at us.”

“I noticed that too,” Bearmon nodded. “When the attack started, I saw that the Gazimon’s eyes were red when they were supposed to be yellow.”

“What the hayseed is goin’ on?” Apple Bloom asked. “Who’s so focussed on takin’ the village? And why?”

“I’ve been wondering that myself,” Elecmon mused. “Every Digimon is born and reborn here; there’s not a single Digimon in the Digital World that doesn’t know that. And because of that, there’s an unspoken law to never attack this place.”

Bearmon nodded. “Attacking this place once would be bad enough. But for the same Digimon to attack multiple times…”

“There has to be a reason behind all of this, some sort of agenda,” Armadillomon added. Elecmon nodded.

“Well…” Babs Seed started. “If we’re all THAT curious, I think I may know a place we can search for clues.”

“Really, where?” Sweetie Belle squeaked.

Babs Seed bit her lower lip and turned her gaze towards the western horizon. Everyone turned to see Mt. Panorama in the distance, it's peak shrouded in a few wispy clouds.

Silver Spoon gulped. “C’mon, you want us to go back there?” she chuckled. “What are you, crazy?” Babs turned back to her with the same serious look she had given everyone else. “Yeah...you’re crazy.”

Chapter 7: The Grey Lord's Mansion

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The walk to Mt. Panorama was different for the ponies the second time around. Some found comfort in the familiarity of the trail. Others took in the sights of the beautiful flora, and the random roads signs that had no place in the forest. A few were simply grateful to have their hooves on the ground this time around. But overall, there was a sense of determination in the air. Determination to uncover the true nature of the attacks on the sacred Village of Beginnings, and to put a stop to them once and for all.

“So, ponies can’t digivolve?” Guilmon asked, determined to find answers to an entirely different subject.

“No, we can’t,” Scootaloo said.

“And you don’t have any Special Attack?”

“Nope.”

“Then what do ponies do when they’re being attacked by evil ponies?”

“Yeah, I’m a bit lost too,” Veemon chimed in. “If someone decides to barge in on your territory, do you just roll out the red carpet and give it to them? Because from the sound of things, ponies can’t defend themselves.”

“Hey, that’s not true!” Babs Seed said. “We can defend ourselves. Remember in the prison? I held my own against that Gazimon for awhile.”

“Yeah, you got a few punches in before getting knocked flat on your back,” Veemon snickered.

“Oh yeah? And how many hits did you get in before getting knocked back on your’s before you became Veemon?”

Veemon paused for a moment, his lips mimicking a fish on land as he tried to find an answer. Eventually, his only response was to keep his mouth shut, his eyes forward, and to keep walking.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Babs Seed smirked.

“Well, to answer your question Veemon, ponies don’t quite establish territory per se,” Sweetie Belle began. “Most ponies live in some type of a community, like a town or a city. And we live in some kind of a home with our families. And usually—”

“What’s a family?” Armadillomon asked. Everypony stopped, turning to Armadillomon in disbelief. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“It’s not that,” Apple Bloom said. “It’s just, how do you not know what a family is?”

“I don’t know. How do you not know about digivolution?”

“Well…yeah, I guess you’ve got a point there,” Apple Bloom shrugged.

Silver Spoon put a hoof to her chin. “I guess you could see a family as a group of ponies who live together in a home. And now that I think about it, you could see our homes as our “territory” in a sense. We don’t usually let other ponies in unless we invite them, or they’re a part of our family.”

“Oh…” Terriermon nodded. “So a family is like a pack, or a herd?”

“I mean...kind of, I guess?” Silver Spoon shrugged.

“How can you say that!” Apple Bloom asked. “Family is so much more than that!”

“Alright then smartie pants, how would you describe it?”

“Well, it’s not just about a group of ponies livin’ together,” Apple Bloom began. “It’s the ponies you grow up with. The ponies who take care of you, who guide you, who help you whenever you make mistakes, who...always love you no matter what,” Apple Bloom looked back to Armadillomon with a warm smile. “Yeah, that’s what a family is. A group of ponies who love, trust, care about, and look out for each other.”

“That’s…” Armadillomon smiled. “Really sweet.”

A sniffle made everyone look to Sweetie Belle, who was sitting down with her ears folded back. “Sweetie Belle, what’s wrong?” Palmon asked.

“I just...I miss my parents and my sister,” Sweetie Belle sniffled, her eyes beginning to water.

Everypony’s gaze lowered to the ground as their shoulders slumped, a blanket of melancholy gently swaddling them all. “Yeah, I hear ya girl,” Apple Bloom muttered. Scootaloo nodded her head as she trotted over to Sweetie Belle.

“Hey, I miss my folks too,” Scootaloo admitted, putting a hoof on Sweetie Belle’s foreleg. “But we can’t spend all day being sad about it.”

“I know, I know,” Sweetie Belle nodded. “It’s just that, I’m wondering if they know we’re missing yet. I can’t stop thinking about how my parents are probably worried sick. And Rarity, I can’t imagine what’s going through her—” Sweetie Belle looked up, a look of horror written across her face. “Oh sweet mother of Celestia, how many cartons of vanilla oat swirl has she gone through by now?”

“Uh...what?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Yeah, she does this thing when she gets really upset. She starts eating vanilla oat swirl ice cream out of the carton and—” Sweetie Belle shuddered. “Trust me, it’s not pretty!”

Bearmon coughed. “So, uh...ponies can defend themselves pretty well? Even without digivolving or Special Attacks?” he asked, trying to steer the conversation away from the gloom.

“Well, yeah,” Apple Bloom nodded. “I mean, sometimes ponies might be attacked by something that has to be handled by the police or Royal Guard.”

“And if that doesn’t work, usually Princess Twilight and her friends are called in to save the day!” Scootaloo finished proudly.

“Cool!” Guilmon said, eyes sparkling. “So, how do they fight the bad guys that no one else can fight?”

“Oh, they have their ways,” Scootaloo said. “But in worst case scenarios, they end up blasting it with friendship lasers.”

Most of the Digimon stumbled to a halt. “I...forgive me. But did you just say they blast the bad guys with...friendship lasers?” Hawkmon asked.

“Um...yeah?” Scootaloo nodded.

“Pfffftttt…” Scootaloo looked over to see Veemon putting a hand over his mouth, and his shoulders shaking as he tried to hold back his laughter. Despite his best efforts though, a few chuckles escaped, and began to spread faster than a cold during the Fall.

“What? It’s true!” Scootaloo protested.

“What...what does that look like?” Terriermon giggled. “A big rainbow colored laser blast?”

“Yeah!”

There was a pause before the air was filled with laughter. Terriermon and Veemon were both on their backs, most of the other Digimon were starting to laugh, even a few of the ponies couldn’t resist chuckling.

“What’s so funny!” Scootaloo shouted, her cheeks starting to turn red as she glanced to Apple Bloom, who had her face in her hoof as she giggled. “Your sister is one of the ponies who can do that you know!”

“I know,” Apple Bloom giggled. “I ain’t laughing at that. It’s the way you said it, it was just so...blunt.” Scootaloo turned away from everyone in an effort to hide the blush that was spreading to the rest of her face. “Aw, come on Scoots. Don’t be like that, we ain’t laughin’ at you.”

“Hmpf…” Scootaloo grunted.

“Come on ya’ll, that mountain ain’t gettin’ any closer,” Apple Bloom said, shaking off the last of her chuckles.

Scootaloo heard the crunching of leaves going behind her as she waited for her blush to go away. A tap on her shoulder made her glance behind her to see Sweetie Belle offering a warm smile. “Thanks Scootaloo. I really needed that.”

As Sweetie Belle trotted off, Scootaloo felt the corners of her mouth turn into a brief smile. “Happy to help,” she muttered before trotting after Guilmon.

Before long, the team found themselves standing before the mouth of the Mt. Panorama cavern once again. Babs Seed stared into the darkness, unable to hide the shiver going down her spine.

“Babs, are you alright?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Yeah, just...bad memories is all,” Babs Seed nodded.

“Well, last time we saw this place, we were being dragged into it kicking and screaming,” Silver Spoon gulped.

“Ah, don’t worry about it,” Veemon cracked his knuckles. “If anyone’s here, we can take em’!”

“Yeah, and if we can’t, we’ll just shoot them with friendship lasers. Right Scootaloo?” Terriermon giggled.

“Ugh,” Scootaloo rolled her eyes as she followed everyone inside. “Why do I get the feeling that I’m not gonna hear the end of that for awhile?”

“Because you aren’t.”

“Great…”

Everyone walked down the tunnel branching to the left, which led to a large barrack. Scattered around the room were several uncomfortable looking cots, a couple of overturned tables with playing cards and dice nearby, and a few wooden bowls and eating utensils.

“Sheesh, what a mess!” Diamond Tiara said.

“Looks like they all left in a hurry,” Armadillomon said.

“Well, we did kinda storm the place,” Palmon shrugged.

Diamond Tiara trotted towards the back of the barrack while everyone else looked around the room, where two doors were opened. A peek into one of them revealed a dark, empty room with a few scraps of old food lying around. Must have been the pantry or something, she thought. She pushed open the other door to reveal a small bedroom. Inside was a slightly nicer bed than the ones outside, a wooden desk, a lantern, an ink bottle and quill, and a leather bound book.

Diamond Tiara walked up to the desk and opened the book, the musky smell of aged paper filling the air. “What the hay is this?” Diamond Tiara asked to no one in particular. The pages were filled with strange symbols. “It doesn’t look like Ponish, that’s for sure.”

Hawkmon came up behind her to take a look. “It’s written in Digicode. May I see it?” Diamond Tiara hoofed him the book. Hawkmon leafed through a few of the pages, eyes narrowed. “Looks like some kind of ledger. There’s a record of the Digimon they kept locked up here, the ones they sent down the tunnel, and a few other notes. There are a few mentionings of “the Boss ‘Mon” wanting a few Rookie Level Digimon along with the In-Training and Fresh Digimon they normally ship out.”

“So Vilemon was taking Digimon for someone else?” Diamond Tiara asked. “Does he mention who?”

Hawkmon leafed through several pages until he hit the remaining blank pages. “Doesn’t look like it,” he shook his head. “He just keeps calling him things like The Boss ‘Mon, the Head Honcho, Master, but nothing specific.” Hawkmon closed the book and tossed it back onto the desk before walking out.

Diamond Tiara followed him out to the barrack, meeting up with everyone else as they turned the place over for clues. “We found a ledger detailing the Digimon kept here but not much else.”

“There’s nothing in here except for playing cards and these cots,” Sweetie Belle said, tossing an empty cup behind her.

“Well, I guess that leaves only one more place to check out,” Apple Bloom trotted out of the barrack, heading towards the cells. As everyone followed her, Babs couldn’t help but sneak a glance towards the cell she and Silver Spoon occupied yesterday.

Everyone gathered at the end of the hall. Before them was the entrance to a large, dark tunnel. Nearby, a large cage sat on the minecart tracks coupled to a pump trolley. “They must have used this to transport Digimon down the tunnel,” Silver Spoon surmised. She squinted trying to see further down the tunnel, but she could only make out so much of the tracks before they were swallowed by the darkness. “Maybe we could take this thing to the other end?”

Veemon looked to Bearmon, motioning towards the pump trolley up front. They hopped up onto the cart, getting on opposite sides of the seesaw-like arm. Bearmon grunted as he struggled to push down on the handle. A few moments later, the arm moved down, screeching in protest. Veemon and Bearmon began to alternate pushing the seesaw arm up and down, but every motion was accompanied by a loud screech. The ponies folded their ears back as the cart agonizingly made its way down the tracks. The cart made it a few feet before Bearmon and Veemon got off.

“Seriously, when was the last time they oiled that thing?” Veemon panted. “It feels like it’s just about ready to fall apart.”

Apple Bloom sighed. “Well, then it looks like we’re hoofin’ it.”

Scootaloo looked down the tunnel, which seemed to stretch longer after Apple Bloom said that. “Um...maybe this isn’t such a good idea,” she gulped. “We don’t know how long this thing goes, or what could be in there.”

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. “Would you relax Scoots? If there was somethin’ in there, do ya think the Gazimon would have used it in the first place?”

“Still…”

“I don’t think any bears would live in there if that’s what you’re worried about. The only bear in here is standin’ next to Rumble.”

“No, I can level with Scootaloo on this one,” Armadillomon said. “Something about this tunnel doesn’t feel right.” A few of the other Digimon nodded.

“Well we’re not going to find out anything standing here,” Rumble said, turning on his Digivice’s light. “Let’s just go in and get this over with.”

The DigiDestined had been walking down the tunnel for almost an hour, following its every twist and turn as it brought them deeper into the mountain. The farther they walked, the cooler the air became. And despite having the light from their Digivices to aid them, the darkness seemed to swallow the light after a few feet.

“How far does this go?” Palmon wondered aloud. “Feels like we’ve been walking forever.”

“Well, the Gazimon did say it cuts through Infinity Mountain,” Hawkmon reminded her. “So, I’d say quite a while.”

“Can we stop for a moment?” Diamond Tiara said. “I need a break.”

“Yeah, I could use a breather too,” Sweetie Belle nodded.

Everyone got to finding a place on the cold cave floor, or a wall to lean against. “Brrr,” Apple Bloom shivered. “A bit chilly down here ain’t it?”

“Yeah,” Scootaloo nodded. “The air’s pretty damp too.”

Apple Bloom looked over to Armadillomon, who kept glancing every which way. “What’s wrong Armadillomon?”

“I don’t know,” Armadillomon said. “I just can’t shake this feeling that something’s watching us.”

“Yeah,” Veemon agreed, rubbing his arm. “It’s almost like something’s breathing over my shoulder.”

Scootaloo whimpered a little, scooting closer to Guilmon. “Knock it off guys.”

“Oh come on Scootaloo, stop being such a worry wart,” Sweetie Belle said as she leaned against the side of the tunnel. Instead of feeling the cool, damp surface of the cave wall however, she felt something dry and rough. Training the Digivice’s light onto the wall, she saw that she was leaning on a hastily made wooden barrier. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that the wooden planks she was leaning on had signs of rot before she felt them start to give. The sound of splintering wood preceded a squeal as Sweetie Belle fell through the barrier.

“Gah!” Scootaloo shouted, jumping up and latching onto Guilmon’s neck. “It took Sweetie Belle!”

Apple Bloom dashed over to the hole in the barrier. “Sweetie Belle! Can you hear me!”

Through the sawdust, Apple Bloom could make out the blue light from her Digivice. “I’m alright,” Sweetie Belle coughed. “I just slipped.”

Sweetie Belle got up, dusting herself off before looking behind her. “Hey, I think there’s another tunnel here.”

Apple Bloom peered through the dust to see that there indeed was a smaller tunnel branching off from the main one. As Sweetie Belle ventured further, Apple Bloom motioned for the others to follow.

Silver Spoon glanced back to Scootaloo, who was still clinging to Guilmon’s neck. “Uh...are you alright?” she asked.

Scootaloo stopped shivering, seeming to only now just notice that everyone was on the move. “Yeah, totally,” she said as she climbed off of Guilmon and caught up with the others.

After a minute of walking through the narrow tunnel, Sweetie Belle held up a hoof. “Wait a minute,” she said. “Does anyone else hear that?”

Everypony looked around, their ears erect. “Hear what?” Apple Bloom asked.

“I don’t know. It sounds like machines.”

Sweetie Belle crept along the tunnel, the others following in silence. As they went deeper, they began to hear the steady sound of heavy, metallic clicking. Soon, the tunnel lead into a larger chamber, where the sound had reached a crescendo. Scattered around the chamber were old lamps, crates, and pickaxes. Sweetie Belle turned to a large crack in the cave wall, where several large, dark purple gears turned beneath the rock face.

“And just when you thought this place couldn’t get any weirder,” Rumble shook his head with a chuckle. Rumble turned to Bearmon, who looked like he had seen a ghost. “Bearmon, you alright?”

“H-Hawkmon?” Beamon stuttered. “Are those...what I think they are?”

Hawkmon nodded. “Those are Black Gears.”

Sweetie Belle took a step closer to the crevice. “They don’t look black, they look more like purple.”

“Sweetie Belle!” Palmon hurried towards her.

“I’m just saying,” Sweetie Belle shrugged.

Scootaloo watched Palmon gently pull Sweetie Belle away from the crevice. “What’s the big deal? I mean, yeah this is weird, but we passed by quite a few street signs on the way here and you didn’t say anything.”

“The big deal is that those Black Gears are bad news!” Armadillomon shivered.

“Do you remember the story Elecmon told?” Hawkmon asked. “About how Devimon sought to control File Island? Well, this is how he did it.”

“They say that if a Black Gear so much as touches you, you go berserk!” Bearmon shivered.

“I thought that only happened if it gets lodged into a Digimon,” Veemon said. Everyone turned to him.

“That’s...pretty messed up Veemon,” Babs Seed said.

“It’s just what I heard...” Veemon shrugged.

“In any case,” Hawkmon continued. “Devimon used these to manipulate other Digimon into doing his bidding.”

“Do you think they found these by accident and decided to seal the place up?” Sweetie Belle wondered.

“I don’t think so,” Hawkmon looked at the size of the crevice in the rock face. “Any sane Digimon would turn around the moment they saw one of these things. It looks like they were trying to dig for these gears.”

“Who would be stupid enough to look for these things?” Terriermon asked. “I mean, from the way you put it, they’re worth nothing but trouble.”

Hawkmon nodded. “That’s what worries me.”

After leaving behind the abandoned excavation, the group continued their way down the tunnel with haste. Before long, they reached the end of the tunnel, emerging into the light of day once again. Before them was a forest darkened by the shadow cast by Mt. Infinity, and blanketed in a dense fog. Despite the ominous atmosphere surrounding the woods, the group pressed on.

“This fog is as thick as peanut butter,” Guilmon said after a few minutes of walking.

“I think you mean pea soup,” Diamond Tiara corrected.

“You eat what you like, and I’ll eat what I like.”

“Honestly, is there any food that you won’t eat?” Terriermon asked.

“I’ve seen him sneak into the pantry and eat quite a bit when he was Gigimon, so that’s probably unlikely,” Hawkmon said.

“Do you even have a favorite food, or is your favorite thing just food?” Armadillomon asked.

“My favorite food? Hmm...” Guilmon put a claw to his chin. “I’d have to say peanut butter sandwiches.”

“What a shocker!” Veemon said, deadpan. “Peanut butter sandwiches are the favorite food of the Digimon known throughout Primary Village for his appetite for peanut butter and bread.”

“With that bread that Elecmon made last month,” Guilmon added.

“Alright, I can agree with that,” Veemon nodded.

“My dad makes the best grilled vegetable kabobs ever!” Sweetie Belle smiled. “Sprinkles some lemon juice on it afterwards. That’s my favorite to have during the summer.”

“My butler Randolph makes some amazing crepes every now and again,” Diamond Tiara said. “Powdered with some sugar and strawberries on the side.”

“Stop, you’re making me hungry!” Armadillomon laughed.

“You ever have breakfast for dinner Diamond Tiara?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Breakfast for dinner?” Diamond Tiara looked over to Apple Bloom with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah! Have some flapjacks, some toast, strawberries and the like for dinner. One thing that I’ve really started takin’ a liking to is pancakes topped with a bit of pear jam!”

“What about you Scootaloo?” Guilmon asked, looking to his right. “What’s your favorite—” Only Scootaloo wasn’t there. “Um, where’s Scootaloo?”

Everyone looked around, noticing that Rumble and Bearmon were missing as well. “Scootaloo? Rumble? Where are you?” Sweetie Belle called out.

“Over here!” called out Scootaloo, emerging from the fog looking exhausted. Rumble appeared behind her in a similar state, a concerned Bearmon walking alongside him. “Just...give us a minute,” she panted, collapsing to the ground.

“We just took a break half an hour ago,” Diamond Tiara pointed out. “How are you so beat?”

“It’s not the distance, it’s this fog,” Scootaloo cut in.

“I don’t get it,” Babs Seed said. “You scared of somethin’ comin’ out of the fog?”

“No, it’s just that—” Scootaloo sighed. “Alright, pop quiz: what can Pegasus ponies walk on that other ponies can’t?”

“Uh, clouds?” Sweetie Belle shrugged.

“And what’s fog?”

“Well it’s a—” Sweetie Belle’s eyes widened. “Oh…”

“Yeah, it’s a cloud on the ground,” Scootaloo nodded. “So, you all can walk through this no problem. But for me, it feels like I’m walking through molasses!”

“Yeah, check this out,” Rumble said reaching into the fog. Instead of passing through the fog, Rumble’s hoof seemed to sink into it, like it was a large pillow.

“Wow,” Bearmon said. “That’s neat.”

“That’s not the term I would use to describe this situation right now, but thanks.”

Scootaloo looked around at everypony else. If Apple Bloom biting her lip or Diamond Tiara rolling her eyes was anything to go by, this new development brought more than a bit of mild annoyance. She couldn’t help it if her innate Pegasus magic had the effect to make fog more of an inconvenience to her than most ponies. Often during the Spring and Fall, when fog was most prevalent, she would have to wear a poncho to get to school, and even then the walk would sometimes be difficult.

As she thought back to a foggy period early this Spring, Scootaloo’s ears perked up as she remembered bumping into Rainbow Dash clearing the fog one day. Why didn’t I think of it sooner? she thought. “Hold on a minute, let me try something.”

All eyes were on Scootaloo as she got back up, eyes focused ahead of her. She spread her small wings, giving them a flutter. She closed her eyes, taking two deep breaths before taking a third and holding it. As she slowly released her breath, the fog surrounding the DigiDestined seemed to withdraw a few feet, as if a bubble had suddenly been blown around them. Scootaloo opened her eyes, smiling at the results and the impressed looks on her friends faces.

“Whoa,” Apple Bloom said. “Scoots, are you doin’ this?”

“Yep,” Scootaloo smiled, but refusing to turn her head anywhere but forward. “Rainbow Dash taught me how to do this little trick. Took me awhile to get down, but now I can say I know how to use some Pegasus magic.”

“How long can ya keep—” Babs Seed started.

“I’d love to tell you all about it, but I also need to focus on this. So, how about we keep moving, and I’ll tell you all about it later?”

“No arguments here,” Rumble said, getting back up and keeping pace with Scootaloo as they ventured out once more. “Hey uh...you think you can teach me how to do that?”

Making there way through the forest, the fog soon parted to reveal an old iron fence and a tall gate guarding a graveyard. Pushing open the large squeaky gate, the group quietly crept through the graveyard, the fog and overcast weather amplifying the already creepy atmosphere. The further they walked, the darker the sky seemed to get.

Eventually, the group stood before a large, decrepit mansion. Dingy grey paint was peeling off the walls, which were being assaulted by the vines creeping up the sides. No one could see through the windows smeared with dirt and age, save for the soft glow of light coming from within the mansion. The front door was flanked by two gargoyles, their eyes glaring down at the ponies and Digimon, poised as if the slightest movement would make them swoop down from their perches and tear them to shreds.

The first one to speak up was Diamond Tiara, who summed up the place perfectly in a single word. “Creepy…”

“This looks like something out of Elecmon’s ghost stories,” Bearmon shivered.

“Yeah, what was the name of that one story?” said Veemon, who had a hand to his forehead. “Oh yeah!” He grinned and lowered his voice to a level that reminded Scootaloo of Rainbow Dash’s “Spooky Story Voice”.

Veemon cackled and said, “The Haunting of...The Grey Lord’s Mansion!” A flash of lightning made everyone jump. Veemon’s eyes darted back and forth across the sky. “Okay...that was weird.”

“Please don’t tell me we have to go in there,” Palmon shuffled.

“There’s nowhere else that they could have taken the Digimon after the tunnel back there,” Scootaloo reasoned. “So this has to be the place.”

“Right,” Apple Bloom nodded, looking to the front door with determination. Taking a deep breath and puffing out her chest, she said, “Here we go!”

A few moments of silence passed. In her peripheral vision, Apple Bloom saw that everyone stayed rooted to their spots. “Um...I think we were supposed to all walk inside,” said Armadillomon.

“Yeah, uh...let’s try that again,” Apple Bloom cleared her throat, puffing out her chest again. “Here we go!”

A few more moments, and no one dared to step forward. “Well, are you gonna go in or not?” Diamond Tiara.

“You wanna go in first? Be my guest.”

“What, me? No thank you!”

“Ugh! Babs, you go first.”

“Huh?” Babs Seed looked around. “I’m confused, is there another Babs around here? I know you’re not talkin’ to me.”

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. “Sweetie Belle, you wanna—”

But Sweetie Belle was a little busy shivering in place behind Palmon.

“Scootaloo…” Apple Bloom pleaded to the orange Pegasus.

“Uh...sure,” Scootaloo chuckled nervously. “I’ll go into the old...spooky, not-at-all haunted mansion first!” Her heartbeat raced as she looked up at the mansion. She slowly raised a foreleg, feeling the gaze of everyone around here. “After you Guilmon!” she nudged Guilmon.

“No,” Guilmon quickly said, not taking his eyes off the mansion.

“Why not?” Scootaloo hissed.

“Because it’s old and looks spooky.”

“And…?”

“And um...I’m allergic to old spooky places,” Guilmon coughed weakly.

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. Before she could nominate somepony else to take the first step, a sound reached her ears, one that made them twitch in anger.

“Baawwk bock bock bock…”

Scootaloo whipped her head back, trying to find the source of the chicken impersonation. But everyone seemed to be staring at the mansion doors. The moment she turned her gaze back to the mansion however…

“Bock bock bock…”

“Who’s doing that!” Scootaloo growled. The voice sounded like either Diamond Tiara or Silver Spoon, which wouldn’t surprise her. But the two ponies looked around to everyone else, trying to find the culprit. Giving up, she turned back to the mansion, shooting glances at the two rich ponies.

A few moments passed in relative silence. The moment Scootaloo opened her mouth to say something however…

“Bock bock bock begowwwwk!”

“Oh for crying out loud, fine!” Scootaloo shouted as she walked towards the front steps. The moment she put a hoof on the step though, the anger that gave her strength quickly began to make way for fear. Even so, it was too late to turn around now. “I mean come on, we’ve been in scarier places before. We went into the Everfree Forest a few times.”

“Yeah,” Apple Bloom nodded, making the harrowing climb up the mansion’s front porch. “We even went to the Castle of the Two Sisters on that scavenger hunt, remember? When we got that fake clue?”

“Oh yeah, we did didn’t we?” Scootaloo chuckled. She turned back to level a glare at Diamond Tiara. “By the way, thanks for that!”

“Oh come on!” Diamond Tiara threw her hooves up. “Do you have to go opening old wounds? That happened ages ago.”

“It was last year,” said Sweetie Belle, deadpan.

“Whatever.”

Scootaloo pushed open the large oak doors, which creaked as they swung open. “Hello?” she said softly. “Is anypony home?” Pushing the door open some more, she crept inside, the others close behind her.

The DigiDestined entered a large open foyer. A red carpet ran down the center of the room, going up a staircase to a balcony which split off to either side of the room. Flanking the stairs were two statues of serpent creatures wrapping around a crooked spire. Two small chandeliers hung from the ceiling, giving the room some light. The ponies could see five doors, two on the right side of the room, two more on the left, and one towards the back of the room on the right side of the staircase. They could also spy three doors on the second floor balcony, one on the left and two on the right.

“Huh, this isn’t so bad,” said Sweetie Belle. “It looks kinda nice actually.”

“I don’t know…” said Apple Bloom as she traced the ornate patterns on the balcony. “It still feels a mite bit creepy.”

“Oh yeah,” Sweetie Belle nodded. “It’s still creepy but it doesn’t feel haunted.”

No sooner had the words left her mouth when the door slammed behind them, causing everyone to jump. “I knew it!” Sweetie Belle shrieked. “This place is haunted! We’re trapped!”

Guilmon ran over to the door, gripped the handle and pulled. Expecting resistance, he was surprised to feel the door open, the force of the pull sending him on his back. Everyone stared at the open door for a moment before Guilmon got back up and closed it again.

“Oh...nevermind,” Sweetie Belle blushed.

“It was probably a draft or something that made the door close,” Silver Spoon thought aloud.

“Yeah, everybody moumantai,” said Terriermon as he clutched on to Silver Spoon’s tail like a security blanket.

“Yeah, mouma...um, what he said,” Silver Spoon nodded. “Could you please let go of my tail, by the way?”

“Oh uh...sure thing,” Terriermon chuckled, gently releasing his death grip on her tail. “Sorry.”

“So…” Babs Seed coughed. “Should we split up and search for clues?”

“Oh no!” Diamond Tiara protested. “No way! That is the last thing we should do in this situation!”

“Why not?”

“I’ve seen horror movies, I know how this plays out. First we all split up, then the evil spirits haunting this place will start picking us off one by one! Probably starting with me!”

“Why do you think you’ll be picked off first?”

“Uh hello, the pretty one is almost always the first one to go in horror movies.”

Babs Seed stared at her for a few moments. “So...why do you think you’ll be the first one to go?”

Diamond Tiara gasped. Hearing a few snickers coming from the rest of her “friends” only made angrier.

“Yeah, I think you’ll be alright,” Rumble chuckled. “Besides you’ve got it all wrong. Usually, the first one to get crossed off the list in a horror flick is one of the side characters for the sake of comic relief,” Rumble suddenly stopped laughing. “Wait...am I side character?”

“What?” Scootaloo asked.

“Like, what if this was a movie? Would I be a side character? You ever think about stuff like that?

“...No.”

“Alright, let’s all just calm down for a moment,” said Apple Bloom. “Much as I don’t like the idea, it might be best if we split up to cover more ground. This place looks pretty big. Armadillomon, Scootaloo, Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, and I will take the second floor. Everyone else, check things out here on the first floor.”

Apple Bloom led her team up the stairs, turning right on the balcony and entering a library. Everyone quietly checked the books on the shelves. “Can anypony read this?” she asked.

“No, it’s all just a bunch of weird symbols,” Scootaloo sighed, walking over to Silver Spoon and Terriermon. “Terriermon, do you know what all this is?”

“Looks like a bunch of memoirs, poetry books, and old plays,” Terriermon shook his head. “Sheesh, you’d think someone could die of boredom in here.”

Scootaloo nodded. She never was much of a fan of libraries herself. Looking over the bookshelves, one of the books caught her eye. The book had a dark blue cover, on its spine was an image of a golden sword, flames licking the blade.

“Hey, check this one out,” Scootaloo pointed to the book in question. “What’s this one?”

Terriermon climbed on top of Silver Spoon’s back to get a better look. “I don’t know, it doesn’t say anything on the spine.”

“Hmm,” Scootaloo grabbed the book. She managed to pull it halfway off the shelf when she heard a soft click. Before she could wonder where the noise came from, a trapdoor opened beneath her hooves. All three of them gave a short scream as they fell, the trapdoor quickly closing behind them.

Everyone else quickly looked back. “Scootaloo?” Apple Bloom asked nervously. “Where’d you go?”

“Silver Spoon?” Diamond Tiara asked, running over to where they were a moment ago. “You see? This is exactly what I was talking about!”

“You sure it came from here?” Sweetie Belle asked as she followed Babs Seed to the door at the back of the foyer, the others just behind her.

Babs Seed nodded, “Yeah, I heard a scream comin’ from in here.” She crept towards the door, opening it just a crack. Peeking into the small room, she saw a stairway towards the back of the room, a few barrels in the corner near a door, and Silver Spoon, Terriermon, and Scootaloo in a pile in the center. “Scootaloo, Silver Spoon!” Babs Seed threw the door open, rushing to their side.

“Ugh, Babs?” Scootaloo said, rubbing her head. “Where are we?”

“Downstairs, how’d you get here?”

“I—”

A trapdoor in the ceiling suddenly opened, sending a screaming Guilmon falling on top of poor Scootaloo. “Guilmon?” Sweetie Belle said. “What the hay!”

Guilmon sat up, shaking his head clear. “Scootaloo, where’s Scootaloo!” he asked frantically. A groan drew his attention downwards.

“Hey buddy,” Scootaloo groaned. “Do you know how heavy you are?”

“Scootaloo, you’re okay!” Guilmon cheered.

“That’s a matter of opinion right now.”

“Well, it’s good to see ya’ll are alright,” said Apple Bloom, who was holding the trapdoor open. “Babs, you find anythin’ yet?”

“We found a steel door with a keypad back there,” Babs Seed said. “Not much else. But I do see a staircase going upstairs here, think I’ll go check it out.”

“I’ll go with you,” Rumble offered.

“Hey Scootaloo,” Sweetie Belle said. “You want to search with us? I mean you’re already down here, so…”

“Sure thing,” Scootaloo nodded.

“Alright, let’s meet up in the foyer when we’re done,” Apple Bloom said. After getting a few nods of confirmation, she released the trapdoor, allowing it to close again. “Let’s get a move on.”

“Wait a minute,” Diamond Tiara held a hoof up. “So, this trapdoor just leads to a room on the first floor? A room that someone could easily walk out of?”

“So it would seem,” Hawkmon nodded. “What’s the matter?”

Diamond Tiara gestured to the trapdoor with a puzzled look. “What is the point of this thing?”

Babs Seed and Rumble climbed the stairs, their Digimon partners just behind them. They found themselves in what appeared to be the mansion’s attic. In the dimly lit room, pipes and cables ran every which way, and complex machinery lined the walls. The centerpiece of the room was a small collection of four massive generators, which hummed with energy.

“Well, guess we know why the lights are still on in this place,” Veemon noted.

“Yeah, but do they need generators this big just to run the lights?” Babs Seed asked, walking towards the machines in question.

“What do you mean?” Rumble asked.

“These look like the kinds of generators you’d see in a power plant. Remember the generator back in the lab under the shack? That one wasn’t nearly as big as these things.”

“But that was just for one room. We’re talking about an entire mansion here,” Rumble pointed out.

“Yeah, but I feel like just one of these would be enough. This looks like enough to power a small neighborhood.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“One of my friends, Lightning Rivet, his father works at the Manehattan Power Plant. He brought in some pictures for a school project; the generators they used at the plant looked a lot like these.”

Bearmon put a paw to his chin. “So what you’re saying is, we have more than enough power here to light up the mansion?”

Babs Seed nodded. “Too much power.”

“Then what else do you think they could be powering?”

“You got me there,” Babs Seed shrugged. She and Veemon walked around to the other side of the generators, not thinking about how old this mansion could be, or how sturdy the floor beneath them was.

A creak in the ceiling made Diamond Tiara jump. “What was that?”

“Ugh, it’s probably just the house,” Apple Bloom rolled her eyes, trying to focus on the study they were in. A few bookshelves lined the walls, along with a couple of window with a view of the graveyard. Aside from the door that led to the foyer, there was another door towards the right side of the room. The most notable piece of furniture was the mahogany desk towards the left side of the room, which had a small pile of books and two lamps.

“What do you mean “just the house”?” Diamond Tiara looked around frantically. “Something had to have made that sound, right? Houses don’t just make noise for no reason!”

Apple Bloom groaned, turning to look Diamond Tiara in the eye. “Diamond Tiara, listen to me. This here house is old. Odds are it’s gonna make some creaky noises, ‘cause that’s what old things tend to do. Kinda like Granny Smith.”

“What?”

“Yeah, she’s old, creaks and groans every now and again. But that don’t make her scary now does it?”

Diamond Tiara chuckled. “Well, when you put it that way…”

Apple Bloom gave a chuckle of her own. “So just ‘cause you hear this house making creepy noises, that don’t mean ya gotta go around yellin’, "The sky is falling, the sky is falling!"”

As soon as Apple Bloom finished talking, the sound of cracking wood and a couple of screams made everyone look up. A portion of the ceiling collapsed above the desk, creating a small plume of dust. For a few moments, everyone stared at the new hole in the ceiling, waiting for the shock to wear off.

A cough made Apple Bloom turn back to the dust cloud on the desk, where she saw two forms moving around. One of said forms stared back with two green eyes looking past a bright pink mane. “Babs?” asked Apple Bloom.

“Oh, hey cuz’,” Babs Seed coughed. Beside her, the other form revealed itself to be Veemon, who was trying to wave away the remaining dust.

“What happened?”

“Oh you know, just figured I would drop in and check how you were doin’.”

“Hey! You two alright?” Everyone looked up to see Rumble and Bearmon looking down through the hole.

“Yeah, fantastic,” Veemon groaned, giving a thumbs up. “The desk broke my fall.”

Rumble gave Bearmon a lift down into the study as Veemon and Babs Seed dusted themselves off. After making sure everyone was alright, Apple Bloom led them through the only remaining door in the room. What was beyond it made her blood freeze.

Towards the back of the room was what appeared to be a four poster bed with crimson curtains. Except in place of a nice fluffy mattress, there was a jet black coffin lined with gold fringes and a gold bat symbol emblazoned in the center.

“What. The. Feathers?” Rumble whispered. “Who would put a coffin in a bedroom?”

“A vampire,” Diamond Tiara shivered.

“Don’t be stupid, vampires aren’t real,” Babs rolled her eyes.

“You’re right. They’re about as real as giant red killer stag beetles or deranged mountain lion-rabbit monsters,” Diamond Tiara retorted.

“Point taken.”

“So, who’s gonna open it?” Armadillomon asked, earning stares from everyone in the room.

“Have you lost your marbles?” Apple Bloom asked. “Why would we open that thing?”

“Are we not investigatin’ this place?”

“Well yeah, but—”

“Why would we open a coffin?” Diamond Tiara interrupted. “There’s either going to be a vampire in there, or a dead body. I don’t wanna see either of those!”

“If there was someone in here, they probably would have heard Babs Seed’s and Veemon’s “grand entrance” back there,” Hawkmon reasoned. “And a Digimon’s raw data disperses upon death, so there wouldn’t be a body to put in that coffin.”

“Okay…” Diamond Tiara relented. “So, who’s going to open it?”

Silence filled the room for a few moments, no one volunteered. “Ugh, this song and dance again,” Rumble muttered. “Look, we can settle this in a quick and simple way.”

“How’s that?” Apple Bloom asked.

Rumble then invoked one of the oldest rituals of assigning somepony an unwanted task. A ritual shared among school ponies, and often witnessed in place of drawing straws. “One two three, nose goes!”

The moment that Rumble brought a hoof to his nose, everypony had instantly followed suit, knowing the severity of the consequence that came with being the last one to do so. The Digimon were confused at first, the proceedings of this rite foreign to them. Due to the ritual’s unofficial code of silence however, the ponies could only communicate via glances. This proved to be enough as the Digimon mimicked the ponies and put a finger, or claw in the case of Armadillomon, to their noses. Everyone turned to the last unfortunate soul to catch on to this.

“Welp, looks like you’re up Veemon,” Apple Bloom said.

“Wait, what!” Veemon cried. “Come on guys, I just fell through the ceiling! I think it’s someone else’s turn in the barrel.”

“Hey, don’t worry,” Bearmon put a paw on his shoulder. “I’ve got your back. If anything happens, I’ll be there to back you up.”

Veemon shifted around, looking towards the coffin and back to everyone else. “Alright...fine,” he sighed.

Veemon slowly approached the side of the coffin, with Bearmon standing a few feet behind him. Armadillomon stood near the ponies, ready to fight. Hawkmon drew the feather from his headband, twirling it in his fingertips as he got ready to throw it at a moment’s notice. Veemon tiptoed up to the coffin, carefully grabbing the lid. No one dared to breath as the lid creaked open. Veemon peered into the coffin, what he saw made him gasp in horror.

“What? What is it?” Bearmon asked, getting into a fighting stance.

“Is it a vampire?” Diamond Tiara stepped towards the exit, getting behind Apple Bloom.

“Worse!” Veemon quickly reached into the coffin, pulling out a black book and holding it as far away as possible. The cover of the book featured two pale hands gently holding a dark red apple, as if it were the most precious thing in the world. “Vampire romance novels!” Veemon shrieked, flinging the book to the corner of the room.

Silence reigned for the better part of a minute before being broken, mainly by Bearmon’s paw making hard contact with his face. “Are you serious?” he groaned. Towards the door, everyone else felt the tension in the room deflate like a pierced balloon. Whether it was from relief or disappointment would be another matter entirely.

“Well that was...kinda anti-climatic,” Armadillomon stated.

“What are vampire romance novels doin’ in a coffin?” Apple Bloom asked.

“I can think of a few reasons,” Babs Seed muttered, deadpan.

“I don’t know, but I’ll tell you what we NEED to do!” Veemon said, pointing to the coffin. “We need to burn these abominations of literature and scatter the ashes at a crossroads! Maybe drive a wooden stake through the covers for good measure.”

“You do know they’re just books and not actual vampires, right?” Hawkmon asked.

“They might as well be! They suck the life out of the word “vampire”, and any reader’s sense of good taste in books,” Veemon glared at the coffin. “Seriously, just looking at this garbage is making me feel...hold on a second. What’s this?”

Veemon reluctantly reached back into the coffin. Babs Seed tried to peek into the coffin but could only hear him knocking books aside. Before Babs could say anything, Veemon backed out of the coffin, gasping for air. In his hand, he clutched a small slip of paper. “What is it Veemon?” Babs asked.

Veemon unfolded the slip of paper, which had a sequence of five numbers: 42465. “Just a bunch of numbers. Doesn’t say what they mean though.”

“Better hold on to it just in case.”

“But, it was in one of those books, I don’t wanna touch it!” Veemon whined.

“Oh grow some thicker skin!” Babs Seed rolled her eyes as she followed Apple Bloom out of the room.

Sweetie Belle looked at the statues at the base of the stairs, trying to decide if the thing wrapping around the spire was a snake or a mutant eel, when Apple Bloom and the others came downstairs. Everyone shared their findings, including the generators in the attic, and the coffin in the master bedroom.

“So in short, this place could have potentially been the home to a vampire,” Silver Spoon began. “This place has a small power station just upstairs, and there’s no sign of any Digimon being here recently. And the only other thing we’ve managed to find is a string of numbers?”

“There has to be something we’re missing,” Sweetie Belle thought aloud. “Why are there four generators being used to run this place if no one’s here?”

“Well there was that trap door in the library…” Scootaloo started.

“Which I still don’t get,” Diamond Tiara mumbled.

“Maybe this place has other secret passages?” Scootaloo suggested.

“So what, ya wanna start pullin’ every book on the shelves, or try to push every tile in hopes that something will happen?” Babs Seed asked. “Have fun with that.”

“What about the numbers?” Rumble suggested. “They have to mean something, right? Does it say anything else on the slip?”

“No, it’s just the five numbers,” Veemon pulled out the slip of paper in question. “Doesn’t say what they’re for. For all we know, it could just be—” Veemon stared at the slip of paper for a moment. “Wait a minute…”

“What’s up Veemon?” Babs Seed asked.

“Wasn’t there a door down here we couldn’t get into?” Veemon asked no one in particular. Rather than wait for an answer, he walked towards one of the doors on the right side of the foyer. Everyone followed him into a small room that looked like a storage room. There were a few pieces of old furniture strewn about, some old painting frames, and what looked like a gutted piano. Towards the back however, was a steel double door with two red arrows pointing down, and a green keypad off to the right side of the door.

“We couldn’t get into this area here because it needed an access code,” Veemon pointed to the keypad. “But what if this is…” Veemon walked up to the keypad and typed in the numbers: 42465. The keypad gave a chirp, and the sound of whirring machinery was heard behind the door. A few moments later, there was a soft *ding* before the doors opened to reveal a tiny, featureless room.

“An elevator?” Babs Seed thought aloud. “I guess there is more to this place. Nice job Vee.”

“I do my best. Really wasn’t that hard to—” Veemon paused. “Wait, what’d you call me?”

“Vee, or maybe just V?” Babs Seed asked, getting into the elevator. “You know like a nickname. V, short for Veemon?”

“Hmm…,” Veemon put a hand to his chin. “That does sound kinda cool. So, would it be alright if I sometimes called you B?”

“B and V,” Scootaloo thought aloud, hitting the down button in the elevator. “That does sound cool. Sounds like a name for a band.”

“Yeah, totally,” Veemon nodded as the doors closed. “What’s a band?”

The elevator quickly brought the DigiDestined down to a massive underground lab. The floor and walls were mettalic, and the room was filled with massive, complex machinary. Scattered around the room was a mess of tomes and papers with Digicode scribbled all over, covering the tables and the floor in equal measures.

“Is anypony else getting a case of deja vu here?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Yeah,” Babs Seed nodded. “Probably best if we don’t touch anything. That goes double for you Scootaloo.”

Scootaloo stuck her tongue out at Babs Seed.

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes as she trotted towards the center of the lab, where a massive machine towered over the rest of the equipment. The machine had a massive glass cylinder which stood atop a metal base. A few circular slots stood out from the base, and several cables snaked out towards a screen nearby. A few pipes ran from the cylinder to a smaller, rectangular machine, somewhat resembling an oven. A few whiteboards stood towards one side of the lab near the machine, all of which had complex formulae written in Digicode. The one that stood out to Apple Bloom had a diagram of a large gear, with several blocks of Digicode pointing to different parts of it. It was the sort of thing that one would see on a science fair project.

“Is this supposed to be a Black Gear?” Apple Bloom pointed to the large whiteboard.

Armadillomon walked up to Apple Bloom, looking over the whiteboard. “Looks like it. But I don’t understand a lot of what this thing is goin’ on about.”

Terriermon’s ears suddenly perked up. “Uh oh, we’ve got company!” he whispered.

“Quick, hide!” Sweetie Belle whispered as she dove behind a stack of crates with Palmon.

“To heck with that! I’m itching for a fight—OW!” Veemon yelped.

“Not now Veemon!” Babs Seed hissed as she hid behind a bookshelf, dragging Veemon by his tail.

As the last of the DigiDestined managed to find a hiding spot, a metal door slid open, and two ghost Digimon floated into the room. The first one looked like something straight out of a Nightmare Night story. It was covered in a tattered white cloth, had two eyes that were darker than the blackest night, and had a mouth filled with pointy curved teeth. The other one that was with it looked exactly the same, except for the large black hat that covered its eyes.

It was as though two evil spirits had decided to possess a couple of cheap ghost costumes that were thrown in the back of somepony’s closet. And for the sake of not being dressed the same, one of them decided to steal a hat from a witch’s costume. The ghost without the hat pushed a small cart with four jars of dark purple pixels into the lab, the other ghost floating just behind him.

Once they got close to the machine, the ghost pushing the cart began placing the jars into the receptacles in the machine, while the one with the hat floated towards the screen. Babs Seed was able to scan them with her Digivice as she peered between two books from behind the shelf.

Name: Soulmon
Level: Champion
Attribute: Virus
Attacks:
Necro Magic
End Trance
Dark Claw

Name: Bakemon
Level: Champion
Attribute: Virus
Attacks:
Dark Claw
Nightmare Wave
Evil Charm

A hiss made Babs Seed look up from her Digivice, quickly turning it off. The machine began siphoning the pixels from the jars into the large glass cylinder, where they swirled in a nebulus mass. The Bakemon watched the cylinder while the Soulmon watched the screen.

“Okay,” Soulmon began. “The data appears to be intact, no sign of degradation either. Looks like the adjustments we made to the harvest ritual worked out perfectly.”

“Mmmhmm…” Bakemon muttered, content to watch the data turning in the cylinder.

Soulmon looked over toward his hypnotized partner, shaking his head with a long sigh. “Well then, let’s get started.”

This seemed to snap Bakemon out of his gaze as he quickly drifted over towards Soulmon. “Oh, can I pull the lever this time? Please? You said I could if I did my job quietly, and did what you said. Please?”

“Yes, you can pull the lever,” Soulmon sighed.

“Thanks pal!” Bakemon cheered, floating over towards a lever on one side of the machine.

“I told you not to call me that!” Soulmon growled.

Bakemon ignored him as he grabbed the lever and pulled. The machine whirred to life, as the dark pixels swirled around and around, forming a small tornado in the cylinder. Soulmon raised his clothed arms up, uttering a chant under his breath. Above the machine, a spell circle lit up on the ceiling, which then began channeling dark energy into the cylinder. Purple lightning began to strike the purple pixel tornado, causing the data to turn into fine particles, forming together into a mist.

“That’s enough!” Soulmon shouted. Bakemon quickly pulled the lever back up. The machine slowed to a halt. The data in the cylinder had been turned into a familiar purple smoke.

That looks like the smoke that we saw when we defeated the Gazimon in Primary Village! Babs Seed thought. He looked to Silver Spoon, who was hiding behind the bookshelf with her, along with their partners. From the looks on their faces, they seemed to have arrived at a similar conclusion.

Soulmon went back to the screen as a green ring scanned the inside of the cylinder. “Alright, looks like all the data was successfully processed.” He looked up to the purple mist swirling in the tube. “All of the requested adjustments went through as well. This is a significant improvement compared to the previous strain. I think Master Mephistomon will be quite pleased, along with his little pet,” he said, his last few words filled with venom.

Soulmon looked to Bakemon, who was once again lost in the swirling contents of the tube. “Hey, numbskull!” Soulmon shouted. “We’re not finished here yet!”

“Huh?” Bakemon turned back to Soulmon.

“How many times have we done this? What comes next?”

“Um…” Bakemon looked down for a moment before shooting back up. “Oh, right!” He floated over to the stack of nearby crates. The same crates that Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were hiding behind. The two fillies held their breaths, looking towards their partners and each other as the temperature seemed to drop the closer Bakemon got. Babs Seed tensed from her hiding spot as Bakemon reached for a crate that Apple Bloom was hiding behind.

“Wrong one,” Soulmon groaned. “To the right.”

“Oh, right,” Bakemon said, drifting towards a stack on the right. He looked from crate to crate, reaching for a wooden crate.

“No…”

Bakemon drifted further down, towards a stack of sealed plastic crates.

“Getting warmer…”

Bakemon hovered around the area until he found a crate with a crystal printed on the top. “Found it!”

“And it only took fifteen seconds longer than last time.”

“Hey, come on,” Bakemon whined as he brought the crate over to Soulmon. “You know I’m not as bright as you.”

“Sometimes I wonder if the lights are even on,” Soulmon muttered under his breath. Opening the crate, he took out several small, translucent crystal and placed them into the machine connected to the cylinder.

“Hey, can I—” Bakemon began.

“No!” Soulmon said. He went back over to the cylinder, pressing a few buttons. The machine began to hiss again as the smoke began to turn into a small tornado once more. The pipes connecting the two machines shook as the smoke was siphoned into the second machine. As the last of the smoke was drained, Babs Seed could only think of the water draining out of a bathtub.

Soulmon pressed a few more buttons, shutting the machine down before floating over to the second one. As Soulmon opened it up, steam escaped from the machine as it depressurized. As the steam cleared, the once translucent crystals were now a dark purple as dark energy swirled inside of them. Soulmon carefully removed the crystals from the machine, and placed them into a metal case, which had a black ram skull painted on it.

“Well, that’s another batch ready for use,” Soulmon said as he clicked the case shut.

“Does that mean we’re done for today?” Bakemon asked.

“No, the others are preparing for one more harvest before we’re done,” Soulmon said, floating towards the door with the case. “We should get going.” Bakemon quietly followed Soulmon out of the lab.

Apple Bloom peeked out from behind the crates. “That was way too close…” she whispered. “Is everyone good?” Babs Seed and Silver Spoon emerged from behind the bookcase with their partners. Apple Bloom looked behind her to see Sweetie Belle come out from behind the crates with Armadillomon and Palmon. Everyone jumped back as Bearmon dropped down from the ceiling along with Rumble, who both managed to hide atop some of the pipes along the ceiling. “Scootaloo, where are you?” Apple Bloom asked.

Near the whiteboards, a cardboard box began to shake. “Ow! You stepped on my foot,” the box spoke in a muffled Guilmon voice. “Sorry, just trying to get out of here,” it said, this time in Scootaloo’s voice. Eventually, the box’s occupants managed to lift the box up and throw it to the side.

“Present,” said Scootaloo, Guilmon just behind her.

“Alright, I think we should get out of here now!” Diamond Tiara looked towards the elevator.

“Why, there’s still more we need to find out!” Scootaloo argued.

“Like what?” Sweetie Belle asked. “We know that they’re making the purple smoke stuff here.”

“Yeah, but what are they making it from? And why did they have to abduct the Digimon from Primary Village in the first place?”

“But we almost got busted back there! This is getting really dangerous.”

“We’ve come this far already, we can’t give up now!”

“Pipe down, both of you!” Apple Bloom hissed. “I know we’re steppin’ in some mushy apples here—”

“Really?” Silver Spoon said, deadpan.

“But Scootaloo does have a point, there’s still a few things we need answers to. So let’s just keep low, find out as much as we can, and get the heck outta dodge!”

“What if someone spots us?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Run, do not walk, to the nearest exit,” Apple Bloom answered.

“Right, so just sneak through the evil lab, and if we get spotted, run like our tails are on fire?” Diamond Tiara summarized.

“Yep,” Apple Bloom nodded.

“Well when you put it like that, it sounds so easy,” Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes.

“I know right,” Scootaloo nodded, heading towards the door. “So let’s get going!”

Diamond Tiara starred at Scootaloo. I lost the school election to a pony whose campaign was run by these three. How? she thought to herself.

Scootaloo opened the door, and the DigiDestined crept further into the lab. Making their way down a hallway, they passed by a few smaller research areas and storage rooms. Opening the door at the end of the hallway, they entered a large room that resembled an auditorium. Instead of a play however, something far more sinister was taking place down in the center of the chamber.

Five Soulmon surrounded a red magic circle while a few Bakemon hovered off to the side. In the center of the circle, several Black Gears spun in the air. The Soulmon began to mutter an incantation as the circle lit up. The Black Gears began to spin faster and faster as red lightning began arcing towards them. As the lightning grew in intensity, the gears began to pixelate before shattering into purple data bits.

The lightning eventually subsided, leaving a mass of purple data hovering in the circle like a swarm of bugs. The Bakemon wasted no time in swooping in close to the circle, wielding devices that made Apple Bloom think back to a nightmare she had once. The device had a large funnel with a hose connected to a machine with a glass jar coupled to it. The Bakemon used these devices to quickly vacuum up the data and store it into jars. As soon as the the last of the data was collected, the Soulmon began hovering towards the lab area while the Bakemon loaded the jars into a cart.

Scootaloo quietly motioned towards a door on the opposite end of the chamber. Following her lead, the DigiDestined moved further into the complex before the Soulmon made it up the stairs.

Creeping through a dark hallway, the DigiDestined made their way to a large cavern. A large stone walkway stretched towards an outcropping overlooking an abyss, where a large red fire burned in a brazier. The path was lined with torches which flickered with an eerie red flame. At the end of the path, a squad of five Gazimon stood quietly behind a larger, scarier Digimon. It looked like a bipedal ram, with purple fur covering its forearms, legs and torso, and a pair of black leather wings on its back. Atop his head was a pair of large, dark grey curved horns.

As everyone took cover behind some large rocks near the door, Apple Bloom scanned the large ram Digimon with her Digivice.

Name: Mephistomon
Level: Ultimate
Attribute: Virus
Attacks:
Death Cloud
Black Sabbath

“Ultimate level?” Apple Bloom whispered. “Is that a higher level than Champion?”

Armadillomon nodded. “Yeah, the Ultimate level is usually the highest a Digimon will reach.”

“Seems like we found their boss!” Scootaloo whispered.

On the outcropping, Mephistomon stretched out his arms before pushing his hands towards the brazier. The fire seemed to flicker in response to his gestures, turning from red to purple, the torches following suit. “Ialpor ialprg de oresa, solpeth en bial,” Mephistomon uttered. He spoke with a deep and smooth voice that echoed with power and authority. It sent a chill down everypony’s spine. “Esiasacache, solpeth en alonusachi, od zodamran emna!”

The purple fire flared as he uttered the last of the incantation, warping and twisting as it took the shape of a mask with two horns and six eyes that hovered over the flames. “Mephistomon,” the mask greeted in a distorted, yet equally chilling voice. “How goes things on File Island?”

“Everything is coming along nicely my friend. The experiment on Primary Village was...enlightening, to say the least.” Mephistomon snapped his fingers, motioning towards one of the Gazimon. He quickly placed a large device on the floor and switched it on. A large holographic screen was projected above the machine, which the flaming mask turned to with interest as it showed images of the Primary Village attack. The DigiDestined watched as it showed video footage of Gazimon attacking defenseless Digimon.

“This footage was captured by those mechanical Digimon you sent me, the Gizumon. I must say, they were exceptional at capturing all of this without being seen.”

“I’m more impressed about what I’m seeing right now. This is the first time your project has actually been used outside of a lab, correct? What did you call it again?”

“The Black Shadow Virus,” Mephistomon grinned. “It’s derived from the Black Gears here on File Island, and the right application of dark magic. And yes, what you’re seeing is the first field test.”

“Magnificent results,” the mask nodded. “But why have them destroy Primary Village?”

“The Gazimon had no qualms performing hit and run skirmishes in the past, but those were to either fetch us some In-Training Digimon or poach some DigiEggs. While both of them do serve as adequate test subjects, they don’t exactly do well in combat. I wanted to see how well it would work on Rookie level Digimon, and how obedient it would make them. After all, destroying Primary Village is whole leagues above stealing a few eggs. I doubt even the Bakemon I have with me would have the stones to destroy the birthplace of all Digimon.”

“And every single one of the Gazimon did it without any remorse?”

“Well, there were a few shall we say...deviants noticed every now and again,” Mephistomon gestured to the screen. It showed footage of two Gazimon senselessly beating each other with rubber chickens, a few banging their heads against plush buildings, and one Gazimon chasing its own tail like a dog. “Though this was to be expected, nothing this complex gets done right the first time. But we have made all necessary adjustments.”

“So the infected Digimon are now completely obedient? How can you be certain of this?”

“Don’t take my word for it, see for yourself,” Mephistomon turned to the squad of Gazimon behind him. He barely spared them a glance before pointing to the edge of the walkway and shouting, “Throw yourselves off the edge!”

Without a moment’s hesitation, all five Gazimon sprinted towards the edge and leaped into the abyss. Behind the rocks, the ponies and Digimon gaped. It was dark in the cavern, but as they had passed the torchlight, a few of the ponies saw the telltale purple veins around the Gazimon’s eyes.

Did that really just happen! Scootaloo thought to herself with a shiver.

Mephistomon turned back to the mask as five DigiCores floated out of the cave. “I believe the old saying goes: actions speak louder than words.”

The mask chuckled. “Indeed. So, does that mean it’s finished?”

“Well, I’m running some tests on some Champion level “volunteers” to make sure it will work on them. I might even gather a strike force to attack Toy Town. That place has always been a bit too...colorful and cheery for my tastes,” Mephistomon said with a grimace. “But enough about me, how are things on the Server continent?”

“I’m certain that what we’re looking for is here, but I can’t find an exact location. I’m searching for Digimon who know the ancient ruins around here, but Server is large. The search will take time, but in the meantime, I’ve found some Digimon who sympathise with our cause. And I’m certain we can utilize your Black Shadow Virus to build ourselves an army.”

“But Black Gears can only be found here on File Island. To set up a transportation route from here to Server would be costly, not to mention conspicuous. And to synthesize it purely out of black magic is difficult, not until we can find out how exactly the Black Gears work. On that note, why haven’t you given me anything that could help me in that regard? I thought you made the Black Gears.”

“Wrong, I found the Black Gears there and figured out how to manipulate them. But I did not create them, and I haven’t been to File Island in ages. As to your other concern, I do have a solution to that. During my search, I found plenty of remnants of Dark Rings and Control Spires. You should have plenty to work with. And I even found a Digimon who could possibly be “persuaded” to aid in your research.”

Mephistomon put a hand to his chin. “The Dark Rings and Control Spires, those were used during the reign of the so-called “Digimon Emperor”, correct? To think that long ago, a human child had the Digital World in his grasp, and let it slip through his fingers...pathetic!”

“Quite right on all accounts. But his loss will be our gain. I have to go, I need to ensure our stronghold here remains hidden. Keep me posted on any new developments—”

“Actually, there is one other thing I should mention. During the Primary Village experiment, the village was defended by some very persistent Digimon.”

“And your point is…?”

“They seemed to digivolve without absorbing any data.”

“What! How is that possible?”

“I asked myself the same thing,” Mephistomon turned to the screen, tapping a few parts of it. “Then I found this.”

Mephistomon pulled up a video of Apple Bloom, Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, and their Digimon partners defending the safe zone at Primary Village. Terriermon grew still, turning to the oncoming horde of Gazimon, stepping towards them as he was enveloped by an orb of green light. “Terriermon digivolve to...Gargomon!” The video paused as Gargomon prepared to fire. Mephistomon made a few more gestures on the screen, and the image zoomed into Silver Spoon, and the glowing Digivice on her foreleg.

“As far as I know, the only thing that is capable of doing something like that is a Digivice. And the only ones who can wield them are DigiDestined. But these creatures holding them, they’re obviously not human, so I’m not sure if they could be—” The fire behind Mephistomon blistered, causing him to turn back to the mask, whose eyes seemed to be trying to burn the DigiVice on the video. “What is it? NeoDevimon, are you alright?”

“How many were there?” the mask growled.

“Seven, I believe.”

“Show me!”

Mephistomon quickly brought up a picture of the DigiDestined eating dinner with Elecmon last night, much to the shock of everypony. “One of the Gizumon took this picture while scouting the village defenses. He also reported that the village caretaker called them “ponies”.”

“It doesn’t matter what they are! They are DigiDestined, I’m sure of it!”

“But there hasn’t been a DigiDestined in the Digital World for hundreds of years!”

“That’s not important. What IS important is that we cannot allow them to interfere with our plans.”

Mephistomon scoffed. “Please. Don’t tell me your worried about those tiny things getting in our—”

“Mephistomon! You are a skilled and intelligent Digimon, my most trusted ally. I know you will act in our best interests, but do heed my advice. Do not underestimate the DigiDestined! Many a Digimon have done the same thing...and that mistake has cost them dearly. Take all necessary precautions, I expect they’ll come for you sooner or later.”

“Of course,” Mephistomon nodded. “I’ll take my leave then.” And with that the flames roared, consuming the mask before settling back down into its original red. “TSUKAIMON! Where are you?”

A fluttering sound made Apple Bloom look up to see a small Digimon fly towards Mephistomon. Oddly enough, the Digimon resembled the Patamon she saw in Elecmon’s photo album. Only instead of white and golden brown fur, it had purple and white fur.

Name: Tsukaimon
Level: Rookie
Attribute: Virus
Attacks:
Bad Message
Friendly Fire
Purple Haze

“You called master?” Tsukaimon fluttered towards Mephistomon.

“Tell the Soulmon to make sure we can evacuate on a moment’s notice. And have all the Bakemon not assisting with the harvests patrol the manor grounds above.”

“Understood, master!” Tsukaimon saluted.

“I think that’s our cue to leave,” Hawkmon whispered, leading the DigiDestined back out the way they came in. As they made their way down the hall however, they heard voices coming from the door ahead of them.

“So, do you want to give him the report?” a voice said.

“Come on, you know that I get scared whenever I talk to him,” said another.

The DigiDestined stopped dead in their tracks. Their exit was blocked, and Mephistomon would come in from behind them any moment. Sweetie Belle looked to her right and found another door. She ran over to the door, flinging it open to reveal a staircase leading down into darkness.

“Quick, down here!” Sweetie Belle whispered, motioning into the doorway. Everyone hurried down the staircase, Sweetie Belle closing the door behind them. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Diamond Tiara was the first to speak up.

“I knew this was a bad idea!” she said. “We should’ve left when we had the chance!”

“We had to find out more about what was going on!” Scootaloo hissed.

“Does the phrase “curiosity killed the cat” mean anything to you?”

“Does the phrase “nopony likes a whiner” mean anything to YOU?”

Scootaloo yelped as she felt her tail being pulled. She looked back to see the back of her tail enveloped in Sweetie Belle’s magic. “Do we need to separate you two?” she asked.

“What are we gonna do now?” Babs Seed asked, looking up to the door with a panicked look.

“I’m thinkin’, I’m thinkin’!” Apple Bloom put a hoof to her head. A low growl made her whip around to Guilmon, who was growling at something behind them. When she turned around, she gave a small gasp in shock, which was quickly overpowered by anger. “You!” she growled.

Everyone turned around to see two Flymon shackled tightly to the ground, the same Flymon who took Silver Spoon and Babs Seed. “What are they doing here!” Silver Spoon stepped back.

“Funny, I was about to ask you the same thing,” one of the Flymon replied.

“Why’d you take my friends back in the jungle?” Apple Bloom demanded. “Why take all those Digimon in Primary Village? And what in tarnation are you doin’ locked up down here?”

The Flymon looked at each other before one of them sighed. “Well if you must know, we took them because we thought they were Rookie level Digimon. We took the Digimon because we made a deal with Mephistomon.”

“What sort of deal?” Bearmon growled, paws clenched into fists.

“My friends and I have been constantly pushed out of our territory. Every month we would come under attack by bigger, stronger Digimon. Every month our swarm would dwindle until there were only a handful of us left. That’s when Mephistomon came to us with an offer: we hunt down In-Training and Rooke Digimon and bring them to Mt. Panorama. Once he had enough, he would grant us power. We had the chance to become strong enough to take back our territory, we took it!”

“And how did that work out for you?” Veemon spat, glancing at the chains holding the Flymon down.

“Earlier today, Mephistomon sent for us,” the other Flymon started. “We met him here, and he told us that it was time for our reward. He waved his hand around, and then everything went dark. We woke up down here, chained up. Mephistomon came down here with...some kind of crystal. Broke it in front of our leader and this purple smoke seeped into him.”

“At first nothing happened,” his friend continued. “But then he started thrashing around angrily, sputtering off nonsense and trying to launch attacks everywhere until he deleted himself. Mephistomon took his data and said something about it being “a bit too strong”, and then just left!”

Apple Bloom thought back to the meeting a few minutes ago. These must be the “volunteers” that Mephistomon was talkin’ about!

“Please, you have to get us out of here!”

“What!” Veemon shouted. “Why would we do that?”

“You didn’t see what happened to my friend. The way he thrashed around and yelled, he went insane! Please, I don’t want to end up like that. We can help you escape!”

“And why should we trust you?” Scootaloo growled.

“Um, Scootaloo…” Sweetie Belle started.

“These Digimon kidnapped baby Digimon! And for what? Just so they could be part of Mephistomon’s experiments?”

“But does that mean THEY deserve to be test subjects?” Babs Seed asked.

“Don’t tell me you’re actually trying to defend these creeps! They kidnapped you too!”

“Only because they were tricked into doin’ so,” Apple Bloom pointed out.

“Yes, and we feel bad about what we’ve done,” one of the Flymon said. “Now please, let us out! We can make up for it by helping you escape. But you’ve got to get us out now, before Mephistomon shows up. Otherwise he’s going...to…”

“What?” Apple Bloom asked. But the Flymon only shook in their chains.

“Um...Apple Bloom,” Armadillomon poked Apple Bloom’s foreleg. “We m-may have a problem.”

Everypony turned around, and felt their blood freeze in their veins as they saw the large shadow that towered over them.

“Oh, don’t mind me,” Mephistomon chuckled with a wicked smile. “By all means, give me some ideas.”

Chapter 8: We came, we saw...time to go!

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Terror.

Pure, unadulterated terror is what everypony felt when they looked up at Mephistomon. Terror that felt like an icicle had pierced through to their very souls, robbing them of their voices, the will to scream, or the simple ability to move their legs. All they could do is look up towards his red, menacing eyes, and tremble.

“What’s the matter?” Mephistomon said. “Gatomon got your tongue?”

Apple Bloom’s heart threatened to burst from her chest at any moment. Her breathing was short as she glanced around the room, looking for an escape route, and saw her friends not faring any better. She looked back up to Mephistomon, opening her dry mouth to say something, anything. But all that came out were incoherent whimpers and squeaks.

Mephistomon shook his head. “You...are supposed to be DigiDestined? The legendary heroes of this world?” he scoffed. “I’m not impressed.”

“Yeah!” came an annoying male voice. Tsukaimon fluttered up to Mephistomon’s side. “What’s the worst you can do, huh? Hug your enemies to death?” he laughed.

“Tsukaimon,” Mephistomon growled. “Shut up!”

“Y-yes my lord,” Tsukaimon bowed.

Scootaloo began to formulate an elaborate excuse, a classic children’s evasion tactic. In her experience, whenever the Cutie Mark Crusaders found themselves somewhere adults didn’t want them, a short excuse sprinkled with a hint of truth worked best. The more she thought it through, the more she believed it might actually work...if they were talking to a Bakemon. But Mephistomon wasn’t like the dull ghosts floating around in the halls above, he was clearly cut from a different cloth. This was a Digimon with no remorse, no pity for little lost ponies.

Having read her share of Daring Do, Scootaloo knew that the next best thing would be to say something to try and intimidate the villain, or at least give them strength. But looking up into his red eyes, Scootaloo knew that anything even remotely resembling a brave one-liner would be the equivalent of a puppy barking to Mephistomon, with no bite to back it up. She glanced back to the chained Flymon with a gulp, and realized that the best she could do in this situation was hope that she would at least get to share a cell with the other Crusaders.

“Go get one of the Bakemon,” Mephistomon said, his eyes never leaving the scared fillies and colt. “Have them prepare a few cells for our...esteemed heroes here.”

Babs Seed looked to Veemon and the rest of their Digimon friends. All of them were in just as much of a stupor as they were. That’s it, we’re hosed! Babs Seed thought with a shiver.

“Get down and hold your breath!” one of the Flymon yelled. The sudden change in tone shocked the DigiDestined out of their trance, and they immediately dropped to the floor. Babs Seed glanced behind them to see both Flymon rapidly beating their wings.

“POISON POWDER!” they both shouted as a cloud of purple powder quickly enveloped the room, taking Mephistomon by surprise. “RUN!”

Nopony had to be told twice as they bolted past Mephistomon and up the stairs, their Digimon partners just behind them, all while doing their best not to breath from the purple smoke.

Tsukaimon hovered haphazardly as the smoke cleared, coughing up a storm. Mephistomon waved away the smoke near him, seemingly unaffected by it. He turned towards the stairs with a growl, catching a glimpse of the ponies as they galloped up to safety. “Tsukaimon!” Mephistomon turned to him as he finished his coughing fit. “Sound the alarm! We’re closing up shop here. I want everyone to start packing up all essential materials; Black Gears, crystals, and harvest equipment. Prioritize the crystals containing the Virus, and leave all non-essential equipment behind!”

“What about the DigiDestined?” Tsukaimon asked.

“Have the Dark Lizamon twins deal with them. The only way out for them is through the graveyard,” Mephistomon lowered his voice. “Capture the little ponies, and put the names of their Digimon on tombstones!”

“Uh...but won’t they just be sent back to Primary Village when they—” Tsukaimon started, but was silenced by a glare from Mephistomon. “Capture the ponies, dispose of the Digimon, and get out of dodge, got it!”

“Well, get moving then!”

“A-a-at once my lord!” Tsukaimon saluted. He darted towards the stairs, only to crash into a wall. “Who put that there?” he groaned before correcting his course and flying up the stairs.

Mephistomon shook his head with a long sigh before turning to the Flymon. “As for you...” he began. “While I hoped to get to spend more time with you, I’m afraid we must part ways.”

“Mark my words, when we get out of here—” one of the Flymon began.

Mephistomon laughed. “I don’t think you understand your situation. There’s no reason for me to keep you here, and I cannot afford to have you interfering with my work.” Mephistomon’s eyes glowed purple as he brought up his hand, which swirled with dark magic. “So I bid thee farewell,” he smiled, extending his glowing hand towards the Flymon. “BLACK SABBATH!”

Scootaloo burst through the door and dashed towards the exit, the others just behind her. “Come on, let’s go!”

The sound of static interference filled the hall. “Attention all ghostly nimrods!” Tsukaimon’s voice echoed over an intercom. “We have a Code Red, I repeat CODE RED! Pack up all essential equipment and crystals and proceed with evacuation. This is not a drill, this is an order from Lord Mephistomon. So get your acts together you freaky floatin’ bedsheets!”

“He’s a charmer,” Armadillomon muttered as they ran through the empty auditorium.

Making their way through the hallway, they heard the frantic voices of Bakemon and Soulmon trying to pack up in the adjacent rooms. Knowing the odds were against them, the DigiDestined did their best to slip past them while they were occupied. Finally making it to the lab where the Black Gear data was processed, they were spotted by a Bakemon carrying a couple of large crates.

“Hey!” the Bakemon shouted. “You’re not supposed to be here!”

“TERRIER TORNADO!” Terriermon responded, launching a small tornado and knocking the crates out of his hands.

As the Bakemon tried to recover, Veemon charged him. Just when it appeared he was about to deliver a blow head-on, Veemon dropped down onto his side, sliding underneath Bakemon. The moment he got behind him, he leaped into the air and threw a powerful punch to the back of his head shouting, “VEE KNOCKOUT!”

The Bakemon collapsed onto the floor with a groan, unconscious. “Hey, what’s going on over there?” a voice shouted.

“Hurry, hurry!” Sweetie Belle urged everyone into the elevator before hitting the button to go up. A Soulmon floated into the room just as the doors closed.

“So...what’s the plan?” Babs Seed panted as the elevator rose.

“We should get back to Primary Village,” Apple Bloom said. “Maybe Elecmon will know what to do.”

“Don’t you think we should do something to stop their operation here?” Scootaloo suggested. “Maybe break some of the machines or something?”

“With that Mephistomon guy down there!” Diamond Tiara shuddered. “I’m not taking any chances with him around.”

“Yeah, good point.”

When the elevator reached the mansion level, everyone dashed out of the room the moment the doors opened, making a beeline for the front entrance. Rumble shoved open the oak doors, leaping off the front porch. “Come on, let’s get out of here!” he shouted as he galloped through the graveyard.

The old iron gate was within their sights when a large pillar of dark, garnet red flame burst from the ground, blocking their escape. Everyone skidded to a stop with a scream.

“Get back!” Hawkmon shouted. Before everyone got too far however, a large whooshing noise announced the presence of another gout of dark flames erupting a few yards behind them.

The DigiDestined starred as the two columns of fire twisted and churned, beginning to take shape. Two large arms sprouted forth from the sides, three golden claws sprung from the ends of each arm. The base of the columns split into two legs, each with two long claws made from fire. A long tail unraveled behind each creature, and a golden helm emerged at the top with two slits for the creatures' fiery ears and another for their gleaming red eyes. A low growl emerged from the Digimon at the front, while its twin behind them gave a low, menacing chuckle.

Name: Dark Lizamon
Level: Champion
Attribute: Virus
Attacks:
Dark Inferno
Snipe Fang
Dark Pain
Dread Fire

“Leaving so soon?” the Dark Lizamon blocking the gate snarled. “Come along quietly and we won’t have to hurt you.”

“Um, Terriermon?” Silver Spoon said, deactivating her analyzer. “You remember back at Primary Village, when you digivolved and went ballistic? I kinda need you to do that now.”

“Wrong answer,” Dark Lizamon replied, leaning his head back. “DREAD FIRE!” he shouted, launching a bullet of black fire at the DigiDestined. Before the attack hit its mark, they split into two different directions, scattering around the graveyard.

Silver Spoon ducked behind one of the tombstones with Rumble, Sweetie Belle, Diamond Tiara, and their partners. Peering over the top, she saw the Dark Lizamon guarding the gate create a small wall of fire in front of it before lumbering off in their direction. Looking towards the mansion, she saw the other one do the same with the front entrance before pursuing the rest of her friends.

“Come on Terriermon, we need you!” Silver Spoon whispered.

“What, you think I can just digivolve at the drop of a hat?” Terriermon asked.

“I don’t know, kinda?”

“Well I’m sorry, but digivolving to protect Primary Village has left me a little bit drained!”

“Same here,” Bearmon nodded. “Plus, I think it was you and the Digivices that helped us digivolve.”

Silver Spoon turned to her Digivice, scrolling through the functions, desperate to find something that could help them. “Where’s an instruction manual when you need one?”

“Maybe I can help,” everyone looked up to see Dark Lizamon standing over them with a grin.

“BUNNY BLAST!” Terriermon launched a ball of green energy at Dark Lizamon, who barely flinched as it hit him in the chest.

“That kind of tickled!” Dark Lizamon chuckled.

“Everyone scatter!” Diamond Tiara yelled.

As per Diamond Tiara’s advice, everyone ran in different directions. As she ran with Palmon towards the front of the graveyard, Sweetie Belle looked back to check on her friends, only to find Dark Lizamon pursuing her.

“Oh come on, why me?” Sweetie Belle shouted. She turned forward to find herself running towards the corner of the iron fence. Skidding to a stop, she turned back to the Dark Lizamon closing in on her. Palmon stepped in front of her, arms stretched out in a protective stance.

“I said to come along quietly little one,” Dark Lizamon chided.

“You’re not gonna take us that easily!” Palmon shouted.

Dark Lizamon laughed. “Us? Our orders were to take the ponies. Lord Mephistomon didn’t say anything about taking you or the other Digimon here.”

Palmon felt a shiver go down her back. She glanced back to Sweetie Belle, who stared back at her with pleading eyes. Gathering up her nerves, Palmon looked back up to Dark Lizamon with a glare. “You want her so bad?” Palmon growled. Behind her, Sweetie Belle looked down at her Digivice as it began to chirp and glow. “You’re welcome to try and take her!” she challenged as she began to glow.

Palmon digivolve to…
Togemon!

“I’m warning you though,” Togemon continued. “It won’t end well for you!”

Sweetie Belle gazed up at Togemon in awe. Togemon looked like a giant cactus with two legs and arms, a red boxing glove at the end of each arm. She was also tall enough to meet Dark Lizamon at eye level, if not taller.

“You think you can scare me!” Dark Lizamon snarled. “Your nothing but an overgrown shrub! You don’t stand a chance against—”

A series of red blurs knocked Dark Lizamon flat on his back. Dazed, he looked back up to find Togemon with her gloves raised. “I’m sorry, what were you saying?” she teased.

Scootaloo leaped to the side as she dodged a blast of dark fire, rolling behind a tombstone. She peered out from behind her cover to see the Digimon trying to fight back against Dark Lizamon. As he smacked away Armadillomon, who tried to cannonball into him using his Diamond Shell attack, Scootaloo turned towards the other side of the graveyard to see the other Dark Lizamon engaged with a giant cactus with boxing gloves.

“Wait, what?” Scootaloo did a double-take, watching as the giant cactus threw a series of rapid punches before spreading its arms out.

“NEEDLE SPRAY!” the cactus shouted. As the Dark Lizamon tried to shield himself from an onslaught of hardened needles, Scootaloo pulled up her Digivice’s analyzer.

Name: Togemon
Level: Champion
Attribute: Data, Virus
Attacks:
Needle Spray
Lightspeed Jabbing
Coconut Punch

Champion level huh? Where did she come from? Scootaloo thought to herself. She then saw Sweetie Belle in the corner of the fence, cheering her on. Wait, did Palmon digivolve? That’s awesome, we may have a chance at this! We may be able to get out of this—

Scootaloo’s thoughts were interrupted when something pulled her tail, picking her up off the ground. She flailed her hooves with a scream as the world turned upside down. She managed to tilt her head up to find herself staring into the helm of Dark Lizamon.

“Gotcha!” he seethed.

“Heeeeelp!” Scootaloo screamed as she continued to flail in Dark Lizamon’s grasp. A series of chirps made her glance up at her Digivice as the screen began to glow. A loud growl made her turn to see a very angry Guilmon charging towards them.

Guilmon digivolve to…
Growlmon!

In the short amount of time it took Growlmon to close the gap between them, Scootaloo got a good look at his features. Aside from his larger size, which put him at a couple of feet taller than Dark Lizamon at least, she noticed two large horns protruding from his head, as well as a short white mane that traveled from the top of his head to the back of his neck. The odd symbol that was emblazoned across his belly was gone, instead of appearing on both of his shoulders, with several additional black symbols appearing along his arms and legs.The tips of his claws now had black on them, and there were two red blade-like protrusions coming out of his forearms, angled so that they were perpendicular to his elbows.

As Growlmon closed the last few feet between them, those blades folded outwards, glowing with white energy as he pulled his arm back. “DRAGON SLASH!” he shouted as he sliced Dark Lizamon’s claw clean off, catching Scootaloo with his free claw before whipping him in the face with his tail.

As Dark Lizamon stumbled back, Growlmon gently lowered Scootaloo to the ground. “Get somewhere safe,” he rumbled, his voice changing only slightly, still containing the same young pitch that Guilmon possessed. Scootaloo ran over to Babs Seed and Apple Bloom as Growlmon turned to face Dark Lizamon, whose claw had regenerated in a burst of dark flame.

“You alright Scootaloo?” Babs Seed asked.

“Am now,” Scootaloo nodded before looking back towards Growlmon, who was now grappling with Dark Lizamon.

“Whoa,” Apple Bloom breathed. “He’s a biggun!”

“DRAGON SLASH!” Growlmon extended both arm blades before charging at Dark Lizamon with a roar. He began slashing at Dark Lizamon, steadily pushing him back as he tried to block the Growlmon’s onslaught of plasma charged blades.

“That’s right Growlmon, show him who’s boss!” Scootaloo cheered.

Growlmon knocked Dark Lizamon back into the mansion before leaning his head back. “PYRO BLASTER!” he shouted, unleashing a powerful blast of flame at Dark Lizamon point-blank. Growlmon stared at the flaming hole in the side of the mansion for a few moments before turning to Scootaloo.

“Nice work Growlmon!” Scootaloo smiled. “Now go help Togemon so we can get out of here.”

“Got it!” Growlmon nodded. The moment he turned, however, a large black fire bullet hit him square in the back, knocking him onto the ground. Growlmon turned back to see Dark Lizamon slowly walking out of the fire, seemingly unharmed.

“What the hay?” Scootaloo asked. “Growlmon thrashed him back there, how is he still standing?”

Babs Seed looked at Dark Lizamon as he got into a fighting stance. He didn’t seem the least bit exhausted, despite the ferocity of the attacks he suffered. His stance seemed calm and unwavering, the flames across his body dancing in the wind. Wait a sec, Babs thought. His flames…

“Alright then, hit him again Growlmon!” Scootaloo shouted.

“Gladly,” Growlmon growled as he leaned his head back.

“No, wait!” Babs Seed shouted.

“PYRO BLASTER!” Growlmon once again blasted Dark Lizamon, who made no effort to dodge as his fire breath hit him full force. As the blast stopped, Dark Lizamon remained unfazed. The dark flames cloaking his body seemed to grow more intense.

“My turn,” he said with a chuckle. “DREAD FIRE!” he shouted, firing a much larger blast of dark flame at Growlmon and sending him back several feet.

“What’s going on!” Scootaloo said, concern leaching into her voice. “He seemed to be doing fine earlier. How is he fighting back after taking two blasts of fire directly to the face?”

“Dark Lizamon’s already COVERED in flames!” Babs Seed pointed out. “If anything, that probably made him even stronger!”

“Oh no,” Scootaloo turned to Growlmon, who was still recovering from Dark Lizamon’s last attack. “Growlmon, don’t use any more fire attacks, you’ll only make him stronger!”

Growlmon nodded before charging up his elbow blades with white plasma. “DRAGON SLASH!” he shouted, charging at Dark Lizamon.

Dark Lizamon swept his arm in a circular motion, causing several dark symbols made of fog to appear in front of him. “DARK PAIN!” he sent the symbols floating towards Growlmon, which turned into a barrier of small storm clouds. Growlmon couldn’t turn in time as the clouds unleashed several bolts of lighting, shocking him and causing him to stumble.

“Come on Growlmon, hang in there!” Scootaloo begged.

Growlmon picked himself up, only to find Dark Lizamon charging out of the storm clouds and tackle him to the ground. As he struggled to get out, Dark Lizamon bit down hard into Growlmon’s shoulder.

From the sidelines, Apple Bloom watched as Scootaloo winced at the sight of her friend crying out in agony. She glanced over to Togemon, who was faring well in her fight but was still unable to help Growlmon. A sense of helplessness gnawed at her gut, seeing her friends partners embroiled in a tough fight.

“We gotta do somethin’!” Apple Bloom said.

“Like what?” Babs Seed asked. “None of our Digimon could fight him before Growlmon jumped in.”

Armadillomon watched as Apple Bloom turned to look back at the fight with a pained expression. He followed her gaze to Dark Lizamon, who was still on top of Growlmon, toying with him. He had a pretty good idea of what was going through Apple Bloom’s head. He hadn’t known Guilmon that well when they lived in Primary Village as Gigimon and Upamon. He wouldn’t say that they were as close as Bearmon and Veemon, but they had played together enough times that he would call him a friend.

At the time, Upamon shared Gigimon’s curiosity about the world outside the village. He wasn’t too bright, and would somehow eat more than most other In-Training Digimon. But he was funny, kind, and occasionally insightful, always dreaming of exploring the Digital World. But right now, he was in trouble, and there was nothing he could do to help.

“You’re right,” Armadillomon said.

“What?” Apple Bloom turned to him.

“We’ve gotta help him!”

“How? How do we fight something like that?” Babs Seed asked.

“You can’t,” Armadillomon turned to Apple Bloom. He glanced down her foreleg before looking back up to her with a smile. “But I reckon I can give it a shot!”

Before Apple Bloom could say anything, Armadillomon dashed towards the fight. A chirping noise made her look down at her glowing Digivice. She looked up to Armadillomon, who was now enveloped in a golden light. “Go get em’ partner!” she smiled.

Armadillomon digivolve to…
Ankylomon!

A loud battle cry made Dark Lizamon look up in time to see a large mass of golden armor and spikes ram into him, sending him flying off of Growlmon. Growlmon shook off his daze and looked up at his rescuer, Ankylomon. He now resembled a large ankylosaurus, donned in golden armor where his chitinous shell used to be. His shell was covered in a variety of large spikes, and the end of his tail sported a large spiked mace.

“Get up Growlmon, I can’t take him alone!” Ankylomon said, turning towards Dark Lizamon.

Growlmon nodded, slowly picking himself up and issuing a challenging roar.

“DREAD FIRE!” Dark Lizamon shot another bullet of dark fire at Growlmon. Ankylomon leaped in front, taking the brunt of the blast before charging.

“TAIL HAMMER!” Ankylomon stopped short of Dark Lizamon, quickly turning and smacking him with his massive tail mace, and sending him skipping towards Growlmon like a stone.

Dark Lizamon, in a daze from Ankylomon’s attack, didn’t notice Growlmon until he was right next to him. “DRAGON SLASH!” Dark Lizamon was unable to put up any kind of defense as Growlmon delivered a series of slashes, ending with an uppercut that put him flat on his back.

“Wha...what is happening right now?!” Dark Lizamon shouted in frustration. Shakingly, he got up on his hands and knees, his body starting to glitch. He looked up, glaring at his two opponents. At least, this was his intention, but he could only find Growlmon.

“MEGATON PRESS!” a shout made him look up, his eyes widening. High in the air, and falling straight for him rather quickly, was Ankylomon. So many questions were running through Dark Lizamon’s mind: how did he jump so high? How did he not notice him leaping into the air to begin with? Why didn’t he finish Growlmon off when he had the upper hand?

Unfortunately, he couldn’t even finish vocalizing the one sentence to sum up all these questions in time. “Oh, what the—”

The earth shook when Ankylomon hit the ground, shattering Dark Lizamon into raw data. After recovering from the small earthquake he caused, Apple Bloom watched as he and Growlmon absorbed the remaining data before the DigiCore departed for Primary Village.

Meanwhile, Togemon was bobbing and weaving through the other Dark Lizamon’s attacks, throwing in her own jabs every now and again. Seeing him stumble and glitch, Togemon knew that now was the time to deliver the coup de grâce. “COCONUT PUNCH!” she charged towards Dark Lizamon, punching him with several powerful strikes before bringing him down with a double-fisted slam. With Dark Lizamon defeated, Togemon absorbed his data before reverting back to Palmon.

With the front gate now clear, the DigiDestined regrouped outside the graveyard. “Everypony good?” Rumble asked.

“Yep, we’re cool,” Scootaloo nodded.

Apple Bloom turned to an exhausted Armadillomon. “You gonna be okay?”

“Uh-huh,” Armadillomon nodded.

“We saw your fight,” Diamond Tiara said, looking to Armadillomon and Guilmon. “You two make a pretty good team.”

“Aw shucks,” Armadillomon blushed. “I was just helpin’ a friend in need, you would’ve done the same.”

Guilmon looked down, embarrassed. “Hey, don’t feel bad about what happened back there,” Scootaloo put a hoof on Guilmon’s arm. “You were awesome.”

“Thanks,” Guilmon smiled.

“Oh yeah, don’t mind me,” Palmon butted in. “I just single-handedly smacked the snot out of the other one. No biggie.”

“Yes you did Palmon,” Sweetie Belle hugged Palmon. “Yes, you did.”

The Cutie Mark Crusaders looked to each other with smiles on their faces, all sharing the same pride in their partners. No words needed to be spoken as three forelegs were raised, meeting in a high hoof with a soft CLUNK.

The smell of smoke made everyone turn back to the mansion. The flames from Growlmon’s Pyro Blaster had spread to a majority of the building.

“Well Scootaloo, you said you wanted to do something to stop their operations,” Diamond Tiara said.

“Yeah, but I was kinda hoping for something bigger,” Scootaloo admitted. “You know, like a big explosion or something.”

A loud boom made everyone jump, rattling them to their very bones as a massive fireball engulfed the mansion. Everyone stared at the resulting inferno with slack jaws as flaming debris landed around the graveyard.

“Awesome!” Scootaloo shouted. “That’s more like it!”

“How the heck did that happen?” Silver Spoon asked.

“Maybe the fire reached the generators,” Babs Seed shrugged.

“Oh well,” Veemon smiled. “I guess that’s the end of the Grey Lord’s Mansion.” Lightning flashed once again, almost on cue. As everyone glanced up at the sky in confusion, Veemon chuckled to himself. “You know, that’s kinda cool now that I think about it.”

“Come on y'all, let’s get outta here,” Apple Bloom turned back to the forest.

“Yeah, we need to tell everyone back at the village about this little adventure! The Mystery of the Grey—”

“Don’t!” Babs Seed chided. “Please don’t say it.”

“Oh come on, just one more time?”

“No!” Bearmon shot a glare back to Veemon.

“Yeah, it’s kind of losing its appeal there,” Terriermon nodded.

“What is?”

“Saying the—” Terriermon stopped himself. “Nope, you’re not gonna make me say it.”

“Say what?” Veemon grinned.

“You know...the name of the place that just went kablooey!”

“Oh, you mean the Grey Lord’s Mansion?” The sky lit up as a bolt of lightning struck the ground a few feet behind Veemon, who became nothing but a blue blur as he hightailed it to the forest, screaming like a banshee. “ALRIGHT, I’M DONE I’M DONE I’M DOOOONE!”

The sky rumbled, almost in satisfaction. Babs Seed looked from the woods in which Veemon had vanished, to the charred spot on the ground where he once stood, to the rest of her friends. The silence that followed was soon broken as everyone burst out laughing.

Hidden in a grove on the opposite end of the mansion ruins, Mephistomon watched the raging inferno where the building once stood. He glanced over to a ruined greenhouse, which housed the entrance to the hidden passage that his minions had used to escape. All of the Soulmon and Bakemon stood vigilantly by the greenhouse, carrying the equipment, materials, and research that Mephistomon ordered to be saved.

“Um...my lord?” Tsukaimon asked, his paws still on the dynamite plunger that caused the mansion to go up in flames.

“Speak up Tsukaimon,” Mephistomon grumbled.

Tsukaimon hovered up to his master. “I like blowing up stuff as much as the next psychotic Digimon. But, why blow up the mansion? We had a nice setup there, we could’ve come back later.”

“Yes, we’ve spent quite a lot of time and effort making this the ideal location to conduct our research. And because of that, there was too much to move if we were compromised. I needed to make sure that we left no evidence that we were here.”

“But the only ones who found out were those colorful little twerps. And there’s no way the Dark Lizamon twins are gonna be beaten by—” Tsukaimon seized up, landed on Mephistomon’s shoulder and began to shiver.

Mephistomon looked towards the dancing shadows cast in the light of the fire, watching as three purple mechanical spider-like Digimon emerged from the foliage. Resourceful little ones, these Gizumon, Mephistomon smiled to himself. The Soulmon and Bakemon tensed as they made their way to Mephistomon’s side. One of them scurried up a tree next to him until he was at eye level. It then made a series of electronic clicks and beeps, which made Mephistomon frown.

“It seems that the Dark Lizamon were defeated,” he sighed. “Three of the Digimon managed to digivolve without absorbing any data.”

“So...they really are—” Tsukaimon began.

“So it would seem…” Mephistomon nodded.

“But, does that mean we blew up the lab for no reason?”

Mephistomon chuckled. “They only got a glimpse of what we were doing there. I doubt they really knew what they were looking for. But, if word of this got out, and a more inquisitive Digimon came along, they might piece together what we were doing based on what was left behind. And then they could use that information to develop a countermeasure to the Black Shadow Virus.”

“Which they can’t do if all that’s left behind is buried in rubble and ashes!” Tsukaimon finished.

“Precisely,” Mephistomon commended his loyal servant. “Besides, we were just about done with that place.”

Mephistomon led his followers through the forest to a cliff at the coast of the island. He muttered an incantation, opening a portal before turning towards everyone. “Make sure nothing is left behind now! The Server continent awaits!”

As his minions filed through the portal, he looked towards the column of smoke rising into the air one more time. So...after almost a thousand years, a group of ‘Chosen Children’ are summoned to the Digital World. Why now? Who brought them here? And why are they not human? As he turned to the portal, he couldn’t help but grin at the prospect of battling these unique opponents in the future. Would they live up to the legends told of the exploits of past DigiDestined?

“One way or another, this is going to be...interesting,” Mephistomon marched through the portal, leaving File Island once and for all.

After retracing their steps back through the Infinity Mountain tunnel, the group of DigiDestined made it to the prison in Mt. Panorama before exhaustion began to take hold of them. Though they were cut off from the daylight, the clocks on their Digivices told them that it would be getting dark soon. Everyone agreed that it was better to rest halfway to their destination rather than risk a nighttime trek through the forest.

And so, they made themselves comfortable in the abandoned barracks the Gazimon had used. They had even managed to find some food in the back of the pantry that was still good, probably meant for the guards.

Sweetie Belle was laying down on a cot, staring up at the cold cave ceiling. The events that transpired today replayed themselves in her head, from when she woke up to help take care of the baby Digimon, to the moment where Palmon digivolved to Togemon. She sat up, a part of her mind still lost in thought as she looked around the room.

Most of the Digimon were eating with a couple of her friends, while everyone else sat down at a small table towards the center of the room, where a poker game was taking place. After they had eaten, Apple Bloom had managed to salvage a complete deck of playing cards and a small pile of poker chips from the mess in the barracks. Babs Seed, Scootaloo, and Rumble were eager to play, while the rest were content to simply relax for a bit.

Apple Bloom glanced from the two cards in her hoof, to the five cards on the table and the large mess of chips nearby, before shooting a glance towards Babs Seed. Sweetie Belle wasn’t sure if the smirk on Babs’ face had to do with a possible good hand or the large stack of chips she had next to her. Although Apple Bloom looked like she could catch up to her cousin, the same couldn’t be said for the other two contestants. Scootaloo, who was apparently still new to the game, looked like she was sweating bullets. Meanwhile, Rumble had his face buried into the table, having lost the last of his chips in the previous round.

“Alright, whaddya got?” Apple Bloom challenged, noting the five cards on the table: A Jack, seven, and eight of Spades, Ace of Clubs, and a Jack of Diamonds.

Scootaloo sighed, laying a ten of Hearts and a six of Clubs in front of her. “A pair of Jacks,” she muttered.

Apple Bloom laid out a Queen and Ace of Hearts. “Two pairs!” she declared. Though she knew everypony had the pair of Jacks on the table, the pair of Aces she had gave her a pretty valuable hand. One look at Babs Seed’s evil grin though, and all her confidence went down the drain. And then she saw the cards she laid out: a Jack and nine of Hearts, and she was crushed...again.

“Three of a kind!” Babs Seed sang, reaching for the pile of chips in the center of the table. “Come to Mama!”

Apple Bloom let out a groan while Scootaloo slammed a hoof into the table. “Oh, come on! If I had a nine, I would’ve had a straight! I was THIS CLOSE to making a comeback!” She cried, putting two of her hooves an inch apart from each other for emphasis.

Apple Bloom shook her head as Babs laughed maniacally. “Hey Sweetie Belle, how come you didn’t wanna play?” she asked.

“I don’t know. Just feeling too tired to play, I guess,” Sweetie Belle said half-heartedly.

Scootaloo turned to Sweetie Belle, picking up on the doubt in her voice. “What’s wrong? We stopped Mephistomon, didn’t we? Come on, celebrate a little.”

“Did we stop him though?”

“Last time I checked, his hideout exploded. When something explodes, it’s pretty hard to work with it.”

“Yeah, like your lemonade stand last summer,” Diamond Tiara chuckled. “No more stand, no more lemonade sales.”

Babs Seed stopped counting her chips for a moment and looked at Diamond Tiara. “Wait, what was that about an exploding lemonade stand?”

“Don’t ask!” Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle chorused.

“Anyway, I get that his hideout blew up,” Sweetie Belle continued. “But he probably got away while our Digimon were fighting the Dark Lizamon.”

Rumble lifted his head from the table, leaving an impression on his forehead. “She has a point. That flying purple loudmouth with him told everyone in the lab to evacuate. And there was a lot of time between that, and the mansion going boom.”

Everypony looked to each other as they mulled over his words. “Okay…” Scootaloo started. “So, assuming that Mephistomon got away, what do we do now? I mean, even if we knew where he was, would we be able to fight him?”

“He is an Ultimate level Digimon…” Hawkmon reminded everyone.

“Yeah, and some of us haven’t even reached Champion yet,” Veemon pouted.

As everyone looked to each other for an answer, the Digivices started to pulsate and beep.

“What the…?” Diamond Tiara held her Digivice away as the beeping grew louder. As the beeping continued, the screens on the Digivices began to show an odd symbol. It seemed to resemble an open eye within a diamond.

“Greetings, DigiDestined,” a voice spoke from the Digivices, which pulsed in time with the voice. It sounded like it belonged to a young lady, yet still held years of wisdom. To Sweetie Belle, her voice reminded her of the smooth sound made when two empty wine glasses clinked together. “It is good to finally meet you.”

“What the...who are you?” Apple Bloom asked her Digivice.

“You can call me Anahita, and I’ve been waiting for you seven for a long time.”

Chapter 9: Beyond the Horizon

View Online

“Anahita?” Apple Bloom repeated. “Are you some kind of Digimon?”

“Not quite,” Anahita replied from the Digivices.

“How are you talkin’ to us through the Digivices? What do ya mean you’ve been waitin’ for us? What in tarnation is going—”

“I’m sure you have a lot of questions Apple Bloom. However, I have something urgent to tell you, and I don’t have a lot of time.”

Apple Bloom leaned back. “Wait...how do you my—”

“You all have seen Mephistomon,” Anahita interrupted. “You’ve all seen his Black Shadow Virus, and what it is capable of.”

“It allows him to control Digimon, right?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“But, we blew up his lab,” Scootaloo said. “So...he can’t make anymore of that stuff.”

“While the destruction of his lab on File Island did deal a critical blow to his operations there, Mephistomon is a resourceful Digimon. As we speak, he is moving his cult to the Server continent, where he will continue to perfect and produce his Black Shadow Virus.”

“Told you!” Sweetie Belle whispered.

“Not now Sweetie Belle!” Scootaloo hissed.

“What’s he planning to do with that stuff?” Silver Spoon asked. “I heard him talking with someone about using it to build an army.”

“That is a strong possibility,” Anahita acknowledged. “However, I fear that Mephistomon’s pet project is only a single piece in a much larger puzzle.”

“How big of a puzzle are we talking here?” Guilmon asked seriously. “Is it one of those one thousand piece puzzles? I never liked those things.”

“Mephistomon seems to be working with an accomplice, NeoDevimon, on a much more elaborate project. I’m not sure what their end goal is, but I do know that they have succeeded in weakening the defenses of the Digital World.”

“What!” Hawkmon squawked. “How is that possible?”

“They’ve only managed to whittle away a miniscule portion of the defenses, but the fact that they have accomplished even this bodes poorly. Which brings me to you fillies.”

“Ahem!” Rumble coughed.

“And colt,” Anahita added. “You must go to the Server continent. Find out what Mephistomon and NeoDevimon are up to, and put a stop to it!”

“But we’re not strong enough to face someone like Mephistomon!” Palmon protested.

“Not yet you’re not…” Everypony’s Digivice emitted a series of chirps before Anahita continued. “I am updating the Digivices with a couple of new functions which will aid you in your quest. You must first seek out a village on the southeastern coast of the continent. The elder of the village has something that will help you. When you meet him, tell him ‘The extinguished torch burns brightly once more.’ That will let him know that he can trust you.”

“Wait a minute, timeout!” Diamond Tiara protested. “Are you asking us to do this, or just telling us? Because we never asked for any of this!”

“Yeah,” Silver Spoon nodded. “I’m sorry, but we just want to go home.”

“We rarely ask for most of the things we get in life, whether they be good or bad,” Anahita said. “But we can choose what we make of those things, and what we do with them. The Digivices chose you for a reason, you are all DigiDestined. And right now, the Digital World needs you! You can choose to do nothing about it; hide and hope someone else comes along to take up the mantle. Or even run home if you found a way. But ask yourself this: do you believe you’ll be able to *bzzzzttt*…”

“Huh?” Rumble tapped the screen of his Digivice. “What was that? I didn’t understand that last bit.”

“*Bzzzt* Hello?” Anahita said, her voice fading in and out as the symbol on the Digivices began to grow fuzzy. “Can you *bzzzt* me? I’m *bzzzzzt…* connection!”

“Wait!” Apple Bloom cried. “How do you know who we are? How are you messin’ with our Digivices? Can you get us home?!”

“I’m *bzzzzzt* hearing you! *Bzzzt* the Server continent! Find the *bzzzzzzzzzzt*! Good luck!”

With a hissing of static and chirps, the screen lights dimmed, and the eye in the diamond symbol vanished. “Hello?” Apple Bloom shook her Digivice. “Hello? Anahita, are you there? Hey, answer me!” With a frustrated cry, Apple Bloom slammed her forehoofs into the table, sending cards and poker chips flying.

Everyone stared at her as she buried her face in a foreleg. “The first time we hear from someone who might know what’s going on, and she doesn’t even answer any questions we’ve got!” she muttered.

“Cuz?” Babs Seed got up out of her seat, slowly walking over to Apple Bloom. “You uh...you okay?”

Apple Bloom sighed. “Yeah, sorry ‘bout that. I’m just sick of not knowin’ what we’re supposed to do.”

Armadillomon waddled to the other side of Apple Bloom. “Well, didn’t Anahita say that we should be gettin’ to the Server continent?”

“And why should we trust her?” Diamond Tiara asked. “She just shows up out of the blue and tells us to go there to find something that’s supposed to help us, what...save the Digital World? And she mentioned Apple Bloom by name. How does she know us?”

Sweetie Belle looked down at her Digivice. “Didn’t she say she did something to the Digivices?” She pressed the upper right button, scrolling through the functions until she came across an image of a simple treasure map. Curious, she pressed the large button on the left side of the screen, and a large holographic panel was emitted from the Digivice’s screen.

Everyone watched as Sweetie Belle scanned the hologram for a few moments before looking up. “Whoa, I think this is a map!”

Apple Bloom rushed over to Sweetie Belle to look at what she found. On the screen, was a map of what Apple Bloom assumed was a bit of Mt. Panorama, and the forest outside, with contour lines swirling all over the map. A single blinking dot sat in the center of the map, marking Sweetie Belle’s location. Apple Bloom placed her hoof on the screen, surprised that it felt solid and smooth, like a window pane. She was able to move the map around, and Sweetie Belle found a slider on the side of the screen that allowed her to zoom out to see the entire island.

“What’s with all the lines?” Apple Bloom looked over to see a confused Scootaloo looking at the map from her Digivice.

“It’s a topographic map,” Apple Bloom said. “All those contours represent changes in terrain. You see how the some of the lines go around in a big circle near us? That’s probably Mt. Panorama.”

Scootaloo stared at the map, looking lost.

“Did you not learn anythin’ in the Filly Guides?”

Silver Spoon looked back to the Digivice, scrolling past the map function to find an icon that looked like an open knapsack. Clicking it brought up a blank screen, with a large square to the right. Underneath the square were two buttons; one button showed a curved arrow pointing into a box, and another had an arrow pointing out of a box.

“Whatcha find there Silver Spoon?” said Terriermon, who was eating a rice ball.

“I have no idea,” Silver Spoon shook her head. She tapped the button with the arrow pointing into a box. The large square became transparent, a targeting reticule appearing inside of it and focusing on Terriermon; or rather, the rice ball in his paws. A small ray of blue light was projected from the back of the screen and onto the rice ball. Everyone watched in amazement, or horror in Terriermon’s case, as the rice ball was quickly broken down into little pieces of blue data, and sucked into the Digivice. Not a moment after the process was complete, an image of a rice ball appeared at the top of Silver Spoon’s screen, next to it were the words: Rice Ball.

“Hey!” Terriermon cried. “That was mine!”

“Sorry, sorry!” Silver Spoon panicked. “I didn’t know that would happen!” She tapped on the image of the small rice ball, and the large square was filled with a larger, more detailed image of the half-eaten snack. “Wait, is it actually inside the Digivice? Is this some kind of storage system?”

“That is so cool!” Sweetie Belle squeaked. She pulled up the new function and began to add random objects to her Digivice’s inventory. One by one, the items appeared on the screen, forming a small list.

“Yeah, that’s pretty neat,” Terriermon said with a smile, which turned flat as he extended a paw. “Now could you please give that back? I wasn’t finished with it.”

Silver Spoon turned back to the screen, noting the second button, the one with the arrow pointing out of the box. Shrugging, she tapped the button, and the holographic screen winked out of existence. A shimmering ghost of a half-eaten rice ball hovered in front of her, just above the Digivice. Two thin blue lasers were emitted from the Digivice’s small screen, dancing all over the outline. As the lasers quickly moved up, the rice ball began to materialize, almost as if it was an image from a coloring book being shaded in. The whole process took no more than three seconds, and soon Terriermon’s unfinished morsel fell into Silver Spoon’s hooves.

“Uh...here you go,” Silver Spoon hoofed the rice ball back to Terriermon, who eagerly snatched it and took a big bite from it. Silver Spoon tilted her foreleg back up, noting that the previous holographic screen had reappeared. “That’s a pretty neat feature,” Silver Spoon nodded before hitting the main button on the Digivice, dismissing the screen.

As Sweetie Belle turned off her Digivice’s map, something occurred to her. “Do you think Anahita helped make these? Is that how she was able to upgrade them?”

Apple Bloom perked up for a moment. “Do you think she knows why they were sittin’ in that weird lab under the shack in the first place? Is she somepony who worked there?”

“If she is, maybe she CAN help us get home!” Scootaloo jumped up, her wings buzzing.

“I don’t know…” Babs Seed rubbed the back her head. “Does ‘Anahita’ sound like a pony name to you?”

“Maybe she was one of those humans that Elecmon talked about,” Rumble suggested.

“She didn’t exactly give us much to go off of,” Diamond Tiara said. “All we know is her name, and who’s to say it’s even her real name?”

As everyone mulled over the puzzle that was dropped in their laps, Palmon let out a yawn that began to spread to the rest of the room. “How about we sleep on it, and talk about it tomorrow?”

“Maybe Elecmon knows something about all this,” Veemon yawned before collapsing into a cot next to Babs Seed.

“Yeah,” Apple Bloom nodded. “How about we all get some shut-eye, and ask him when we get back?” A quiet chorus of murmured agreements, yawns, and the occasional snore answered back. Apple Bloom got as comfortable as she could on the stiff cot before drifting off into the realm of dreams.

The following morning, no one had any qualms about putting Mt. Panorama behind them once and for all. After a quick breakfast and a swift climb down the mountain, the group soon found themselves approaching the front gates to Primary Village. A Gotsumon on the watchtower snapped to attention, addressing the approaching group. “Who goes there! Friend or f—” his eyes widened. “Oh! You’re back! One sec.” He vanished down the watchtower. A few moments later, heavy groaning announced the gates opening.

“Welcome back!” the Gotsumon greeted.

“Thank you, it’s good to be back,” Hawkmon smiled. “Do you know where Elecmon is right now?”

“Hmm…” Gotsumon looked down for a moment. “Last time I checked, he was in the north eastern egg fields. Apparently some of the Gazimon Digi-Eggs from the last attack hatched already. He’s probably asking why they would attack the village in the first place.”

“I see…” Hawkmon shared a knowing glance with the rest of the group. “Thank you Gotsumon.”

As they made their way past the various plush buildings and toys scattered around the village, Diamond Tiara trotted up to Hawkmon. “It’s only been a day, the Digi-Eggs hatched already?”

Hawkmon shrugged. “Such a thing is rare, but not impossible. If a Digimon retains enough data when they revert to a Digi-Egg, it is possible to hatch sooner. However, since most of their data is often absorbed by whoever defeated them in battle, it usually takes time for the egg to accumulate the necessary data to create a Fresh Digimon.”

Veemon thought back to the battle at Primary Village. When he first defeated one of the Gazimon, he hesitated to absorb his data because of the Black Shadow Virus that ensnared his Digi-Core. He didn’t have much time to reflect on this however, as his thoughts were interrupted when he heard a joyful cheer coming at him fast. He quickly turned right, only to be robbed of his sense of sight.

Babs Seed jumped back as something small and pink leaped out from behind one of the buildings and latched onto Veemon’s face. Veemon stumbled back with a muffled shriek as the pink mass clutched onto his face with two ribbon like appendages, sounding like it was giving him a massive kiss.

Eventually, the pink mass unlatched itself from Veemon before it began jumping around him and Babs. “Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!” it cheered as it danced around a very confused Babs Seed.

“Uh…” Babs Seed stared at the Digimon. Judging from its size and lack of legs, she assumed it was an In-Training Digimon. It had a very large mouth with a few teeth evenly spaced throughout, and two red eyes. “Your welcome, uh...who are you?”

The Digimon stopped bouncing around for a moment, looking hurt. “You...don’t remember me?” he asked. “But you—” he stopped, realization dawning on his face before he laughed. “Oh yeah, that’s right. My name’s Koromon, but I didn’t look like this when you saved me.”

“Huh?” Babs looked over to Veemon for a hint, but it seemed like he was still recovering from Koromon’s ambush.

“Don’t you remember? You found me in an alley when a Gazimon cornered us. He would’ve got me if you and Veemon weren’t there!”

Babs Seed starred at Koromon for a moment. His story did sound familiar. “Wait...were you the Botamon we found hiding in the pile of stuffed animals?”

Koromon leaped into Babs Seed’s forelegs with a cheer. “You do remember me!”

Babs Seed chuckled. “Well...glad to see you’re doin’ alright.”

“Mmhmm,” Koromon nodded. “I digivolved just last night. I never would’ve gotten the chance to if you hadn’t saved me. So thank you. Thank you, thank you so much!”

Before she could say anything, Koromon latched himself onto Babs’ face, giving her a big kiss like he did to Veemon. Babs stumbled back as Koromon released her, a blush on her face. “Hehe...well uh, you’re welcome lil’ guy.”

Koromon squealed, bouncing up and down a couple more times before heading off to play with a passing group of Digimon.

“Aw, ain’t that sweet Babs?” Apple Bloom giggled. “You got yourself your own fan.”

“Yeah...a very enthusiastic fan,” Veemon steadily picked himself up.

“He certainly has an interestin’ way of showin’ his gratitude,” Babs Seed chuckled.

Making their way to the northeastern end of the village, they found Elecmon talking to a Digimon in a crib. Peering over his shoulders a few of them could see the little yellow slime ball with red eyes trembling in the crib. “Now calm down Zurumon,” Elecmon said gently. “Are you sure you don’t remember anything?”

“Y-you’re lying!” Zurumon stuttered, it seemed like he was on the verge of tears. “I would never try to destroy this place. No Digimon in their right mind would!”

“There there now, just take a deep breath. We don’t have to talk about that right now. I just want to know if you remember anything from your past life.”

Zurumon closed his eyes, struggling to think of something. Eventually he just jiggled as he produced a frustrated growl. “No, I can’t remember anything. It’s just one big blur!” He stared up at Elecmon, tears forming in his eyes. “Why...why can’t I remember anything?”

Elecmon reached into the crib and gently caressed the crying Zurumon. “Shhh…” he whispered with a smile. “There now, it’s okay. Maybe your memories will come back on their own.”

Zulumon sniffled. “Y-you think so?”

“It’s possible, yes. But even if they don’t, there's nothing wrong with making new ones,” Elecmon smiled. “How about you take a nap, and maybe we can get you something to eat later?”

Zurumon stared down for a moment before nodding. Elecmon watched as he curled up into his crib and fell asleep. Turning away with a sigh, he motioned for the ponies to follow him out of the egg field. “There have been three Zurumon that hatched today. They all had similar stories,” Elecmon turned to face everyone. “None of them can remember anything from their past life.”

“You mean, nothing about why they attacked Primary Village?” Bearmon asked.

“No, I mean nothing at all.”

“But, the odds of that happening to one Digimon are slim,” Hawkmon said. “How could that happen to three Digimon on the same day?”

“Do you think it might have something to do with the Black Shadow Virus?” Bearmon asked.

“Black Shadow Virus?” Elecmon asked. “Oh right, did you find anything on your trip back to Mt. Panorama?”

Everyone looked at each other before Apple Bloom spoke up. “Yeah, we found quite a bit.”

“Hmm, why don’t you follow me to the kitchen and you can tell me all about it,” Elecmon said. “It’s almost time for the babies to have lunch.”

Elecmon led the DigiDestined back to the cabin. While making jello for the baby Digimon, the ponies filled him in on the events that transpired at the Grey Lord’s Mansion.

Elecmon poured the last of some orange jello into a mold tray as he mulled over their story. “Wow, that is quite the tale. For a Digimon to actually manage to twist the Black Gears in such a way...it’s frightening.”

“You don’t know the half of it,” Silver Spoon said as she picked up a tray with green jello jiggling in small molds, carefully balancing it on her back. Nearby, Babs Seed, Scootaloo, and Veemon emerged from a walk-in fridge.

“That...is one big refrigerator!” Babs Seed pointed into the chilled chamber.

“Yeah, you’d think it was meant to feed an entire village or something,” Veemon commented with a smirk. Babs Seed gave him a playful jab in the arm while Scootaloo shook her head.

Elecmon carried the jello to the fridge, but stopped when he saw only two ponies and one Digimon had emerged from there. “Where’s Guilmon?”

Scootaloo looked behind her. “He was with me just a second a—” she stopped herself and glared into the fridge. “Guilmon, come on! You heard Elecmon the first time. It needs to sit in here for a couple of hours.”

“Aww…” a pouting Guilmon walked out of the fridge, only to freeze again under Elecmon’s glare.

“Guilmon, who is the jello for?”

“Um...the baby Digimon?”

“The baby Digimon,” Elecmon nodded. “I told you that you could have a taste when they were finished. Are they finished?”

“No…”

“Right, so don’t make me catch you in there again. Else you won’t get any, and you’ll be on dishwashing duty for dinner tonight.”

Guilmon gulped. “Uh, o-okie dokie.”

As Guilmon skulked away, Silver Spoon followed Elecmon into the fridge, trying to ignore the various meats that were also stored here. “So...about what happened last night. Do you know anything about Mephistomon or NeoDevimon?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know anything about this Mephistomon. Or this ‘Anahita’ you told me about,” Elecmon shook his head as he slid his tray of jello onto a shelf. “But NeoDevimon...if memory serves correct, I do believe he is an Ultimate level Digimon who digivolves from a Devimon.”

A shiver went down Silver Spoon’s spine. “Wait, you mean...he’s the Digimon you told us about? The one who tried to take over File Island all those years ago!”

Elecmon laughed as he took the tray off of Silver Spoon’s back. “No no no, that would be impossible.”

“But, you said—”

“That he digivolved from a Devimon? Yes. But it couldn’t be the same Devimon from all those years ago.” Elecmon gently placed the tray amongst the rainbow of jello on the shelves.

“But, don’t Digimon reincarnate as a Digi-Egg after they die?” Silver Spoon asked as they left the fridge. “Why can’t it be the same Devimon?”

Elecmon stepped outside the fridge. Looking around the kitchen, he noticed that Silver Spoon’s inquiry had gotten the attention of everyone. “Because he didn’t reincarnate as a Digi-Egg,” he said, his voice shifting to a more somber tone.

Apple Bloom gently put down the dish she was washing. “What do you mean? I’m with Silver Spoon here, I thought that—”

“Then allow me to clarify,” Elecmon interrupted. “When a Digimon dies, whether its defeated in battle or reaches the end of its life span, it is reduced to data and a Digi-Core.”

“Which returns to Primary Village and reforms as a Digi-Egg,” Rumble finished. “Bearmon told us all about it.”

“No, he told you only half of the process.” Elecmon looked around the kitchen, which was so quiet even the faucet wouldn’t dare leak a drop, and risk breaking the silence. “When a Digimon dies, its Digi-Core does not immediately return to Primary Village. Although it does begin to make its way here, it first passes through the realm of Anubismon, where he measures the nature of the data. If the data of the Digimon is good, he allows the Digi-Core to resume its journey to Primary Village, where it will reset as a Digi-Egg.”

Elecmon’s eyes narrowed as he continued. “If the Digi-Core is tainted by darkness, if the Digimon led a life full of malice, hatred, and evil, it is not granted this privilege. Instead, Anubismon banishes the Digimon to a prison of eternal darkness...the Dark Area.”

Diamond Tiara gulped. “W-what happens to them there?”

Elecmon closed his eyes. “Some say the Digimon who are sent there are condemned to an eternity in a dark, twisted landscape, never to see the sun again. Others say that these Digimon become prey to Plutomon, the Digimon who governs that realm. They say that he hunts these Digimon for sport, finding joy in terrorizing and devouring the wicked.”

When Elecmon mentioned the name “Plutomon”, all of the Digimon seemed to shiver, a fact that did not go unnoticed by anypony, nor bring them comfort.

“And there are some who believe that these Digimon actually become part of the Dark Area. That their data is absorbed by the darkness,” Elecmon continued. “Could be any number of these things, or none of them. But regardless, when a Digimon like Devimon is condemned to the Dark Area...” Elecmon closed the fridge door, latching it shut. “There is no hope for them to escape!”

Everyone stared at Elecmon as they processed the story he just told them. The way he described it reminded the ponies of the stories they heard of Tartarus, the prison deep beneath the badlands of Equestria, where some of the most heinous criminals and creatures were imprisoned. Everyone was so lost in their own thoughts and fears that they didn’t notice when a Gotsumon came in with a crate of food.

“Hey Elecmon,” the Gotsumon greeted cheerfully, making everyone but Elecmon jump. “Uh...sorry about that.”

Elecmon chuckled before turning to Gotsumon. “Ah, excellent! Bring it here.”

“So, not to sound like a broken record or anything,” Sweetie Belle started. “But are you sure you don’t know anything about Anahita? We think she’s linked to the Digivices somehow. You seem to know the most about the DigiDestined, so we thought...”

As Elecmon put aside some of the contents of the crate, he sighed. “As I've said before, I’ve never heard of this Anahita. And my knowledge of the DigiDestined is limited to what I’ve seen and heard.” He picked up some of the items from the crate and walked to the fridge. “Truth be told, all I know for sure is—” he paused as he opened the door, glaring at something inside. He gently placed the food on a nearby shelf, his gaze never faltering, and his fur starting to bristle. “Is that someone is busted! LIGHTNING KNIFE!” He flicked his peacock tail forward, launching a small bolt of lightning.

A flash and a scream came from within the fridge as the bolt hit its target. Everyone watched Elecmon march into the fridge, dragging a stunned Guilmon out by his tail. Scootaloo starred at Guilmon, slack-jawed. Her gaze shifted from the fridge, to Guilmon, to the rest of her friends. “How...did we miss a big red dinosaur sneaking into the fridge? We were all right here, how did we miss him!”

Guilmon groaned as he lay on the ground, motionless save for the occasional twitch in his leg. Meanwhile, Elecmon continued to move food to the fridge and pantry, clearly not in the mood to talk.

“So...where can we find more information on past DigiDestined?” Sweetie Belle thought aloud. “Is there a library or something?”

Gotsumon turned to the ponies. “There are monuments and temples scattered around File Island dedicated to past DigiDestined. Elecmon doesn’t really have a lot of time to leave the village unattended for long, so he can’t visit them often.” Gotsumon smiled. “But I’ve seen a lot of them myself.”

Sweetie Belle’s eyes lit up. “Really? What’s in these temples?”

“Oh, they tell the stories about the DigiDestined who saved the Digital World in the past. Who they were, the Digimon they fought alongside with, the threats they faced. That sort of thing. Sometimes, Digimon leave offerings at these sites to honor their memory.”

Silver Spoon trotted up to Gotsumon. “Do any of these monuments say how they got home? Or do you think there’s a gate in one of the temples here that they used?”

“Hmm…” Gotsumon put a rocky finger to his chin. “Most of the stories say that the DigiDestined would vanish once their mission was complete. And oftentimes they had help from someone here in the Digital World.”

“Anything about someone named Anahita?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Honestly, that’s often pretty vague. Some monuments say that they are aided by the Harmonious Ones, or by Yggdrasil, the God of the Digital World. There are some stories that say they were aided by a mysterious drifter, doesn’t mention a name though. And...I think I found one depiction that said a group of DigiDestined was aided by a swarm of glowing butterflies.”

Gotsumon turned back to Silver Spoon. “I’ve been all over File Island, but I’ve never found anything resembling mysterious gates to other worlds.”

“Oh...okay,” Silver Spoon’s ears drooped.

Gotsumon looked up to see everypony bearing a similar expression as their hearts sank. “I’m sorry…” he said. “But if it’s any consolation, you all are the first DigiDestined I’ve heard of that aren’t human. So, that’ll be an interesting story to tell one day.”

“I’m sure it will be,” Silver Spoon muttered, forcing a smile.

That night, everypony sat on the beds that Elecmon had lent them, their partners sitting beside them. No one said a word, their minds occupied as they stared off into space, pawed at the blankets, or in Guilmon’s case, massage his pruny claws. There were some moments when somepony would open their mouth to say something, but quickly close it and go back to looking down at their hooves. Finally, Babs Seed plopped down on her bed, landing on her side. “We’re stuck here, aren’t we?” she muttered sadly. “There’s no way for us to get home.”

Sweetie Belle looked around the room. “Now wait a minute. We only know that there’s nothing on File Island that can get us home. Maybe we should try to get in touch with Anahita again, see if she knows something.”

Diamond Tiara scoffed. “Yeah, let me get right on that.” Diamond Tiara raised her Digivice and began tapping random buttons. “Hello? Cryptic Eye Lady? Are you there? We’re looking for a first class ticket back to Equestria please.” Diamond Tiara waited a few moments before letting her foreleg drop back to the bed. “Hmm, no answer. Go figure.”

Sweetie Belle let out an annoyed sigh. “Well, maybe we should try looking around at this ‘Server’ place. If there’s nothing here that could help us, why not try someplace else?”

“Because we have no idea what we’d be getting into,” Silver Spoon offered. “And we’d have to deal with not one, but TWO giant scary Digimon who clearly don’t want us around.”

“So what, you wanna just give up?”

Apple Bloom hopped off the bed, walking over to a large window that overlooked the village, hoping to at least distract herself from the coming argument. Standing on her hind legs with her forelegs on the window sill, she stared out into the village, where several Digimon slept without care. She turned her gaze skyward, hoping the stars would reveal some sort of answer, or at least a hint as to what they should do. When no answer presented itself, she sighed, instead turning her gaze inward. Applejack, what would you do? she thought.

After a brief period of reflection, she turned back to everyone else. “Alright everypony, listen up!” she said, getting everyone’s attention. “The way I see things, we’ve got two options. Option one: we stay here on File Island and hope that somepony finds the lab that brought us here, and finds a way to get us home.”

“And how well do you think that will work out?” Rumble inquired.

“Well, whenever we would go hikin’, Applejack always told me that if I ever got lost, I should hug a tree until somepony finds me.”

Scootaloo raised an eyebrow at that. “Um, you do realize that we’d be hugging that tree for a while. Assuming we don’t get eaten by any of the Digimon that live out there.”

Diamond Tiara sat up. “Well, there are some of those weird trees that are all hollow. Me and Apple Bloom used one to hide from Snimon. Maybe we can find one of those to camp out in.”

“I dunno,” Armadillomon said. “Those can be pretty hard to find, and they’re pretty small. I reckon that they could only hold tree of us at a time, the rest would have to leaf.” Armadillomon chuckled to himself. Looking around though, he was only met with various empty stares.

“Wow, the fabled double pun,” Veemon deadpanned.

Armadillomon, wilting under the icy stares, quietly sought refuge under the covers of the bed. Becoming nothing more than a giant lump under the sheets, all that he said was a muffled, “Sorry…”

“Anyway…” Apple Bloom went on. “When I say ‘hug a tree’, I’m sayin’ that maybe this place could be our tree, if you know what I mean.” When no one answered her, she elaborated. “A small village made of buildin’ blocks is kinda hard to miss. Odds are, they’re lookin’ for us back at Camp Friendship. Maybe somepony will find the big machine under the shack, and maybe figure out how it works. They send a search party here, find Primary Village, and take us home!”

Sweetie Belle bit her lip. “That’s...a lot of ‘maybes’.”

“Yeah, I know. That brings me to option number two,” Apple Bloom continued. “We go to Server, find out what Anahita knows, what she wants, and see if she can get us home.” Apple Bloom rubbed the back of her head with a small smile. “And, well...maybe help a few Digimon along the way?”

Everyone looked at each other as they mulled over their options. “Well, like I said, option two involves going to a place we know little about. In a world we know even less about, might I add,” Silver Spoon commented. “Not to mention we’d be going off the word of a stranger…”

As everyone offered their opinions on what to do, Scootaloo found herself staring at her Digivice. My Digivice… she thought to herself. Over the past three days, she had gotten used to having the strange little gadget, sometimes forgetting it was there. Looking at it now, it felt like a toy that she had lost a long time ago, forgetting that she had it but deep down, knew that it belonged to her.

She looked up at the debate happening around her, not really hearing what was being said. She looked at the Digimon that sat next to each and every one of them. Ever since they met their respective partners, they never left their side, and always managed to step in when things got hairy.

Scootaloo looked up at Guilmon, who she already considered to be one of her best friends, especially after the way he saved her yesterday. Guilmon looked back to her, looking her in the eye. For a few moments, his expression was unreadable. But then he smiled to her, nodding once. Scootaloo instantly understood, and returned the smile. No matter what she chose, he would have her back. Taking a deep breath, she turned towards the debate.

“I vote for option two!” Scootaloo declared.

The room fell silent as the arguing instantly evaporated. “W-what?” Apple Bloom stuttered.

“You heard me, I’m going to the Server continent,” Scootaloo said. “Look, after everything that’s happened, it’s pretty clear that we’re a part of something big. You know it, I know it, and apparently Anahita knows it!”

Everyone considered Scootaloo’s words for a moment before Silver Spoon spoke up. “Alright, fine. I vote two,” she sighed.

Diamond Tiara whipped her head to the bed next to her. “What?!”

“Hey, it’s like they said: Anahita seems to know what’s going on,” Silver Spoon shrugged. “I say we go there and get it straight from the horse’s mouth.”

“Well, then if you’re going, I’m going!” Diamond Tiara sat up with a smile.

Babs Seed picked herself up and raised her hoof. “I’m going too,” she said with a smile before blowing a lock of hair out of her eyes. “I gotta admit, I kinda like the idea of bein’ a hero. So, who else wants to go save the Digital World?”

Apple Bloom grinned. “I’ll pony up for that!”

“Ditto!” Sweetie Belle smiled.

Everypony looked to Rumble, who shrugged with an indifferent smirk. “Meh, I guess I’ll come along too. After all, somepony’s gotta look out for you girls.”

“Oh how selfless of you,” Scootaloo rolled her eyes.

“Typical boy…” Apple Bloom shook her head with a chuckle.

Rumble blew her a raspberry as the door creaked open, revealing a tired Elecmon. “Everything okay in here?” he yawned.

“Oh, sorry Elecmon,” Bearmon said. “We didn’t mean to wake you up.”

“Yeah, we just had a lot on our minds,” Armadillomon said, poking his head out from under the covers.

“I could tell,” he chuckled. “Hey Guilmon, how’re your claws?”

Guilmon groaned. “Still pruny. There were a lot of dishes.”

“Well, you gotta hand it to the Gotsumon. They know how to make a mean lasagna.” Elecmon turned his gaze back to the ponies. “So, you’re heading to the Server continent, eh?”

“Yeah, I guess we were a little loud about that, weren’t we?” Scootaloo rubbed the back of her head. “Why, is something wrong?”

Elecmon smiled. “No, I was just thinking about that group of human DigiDestined I told you about the other night. They had to go to the Server continent too, after facing a great evil like you did. History has a funny way of repeating itself like that, I suppose. Just one question: how do you plan on getting there?”

Everyone looked to each other for an answer. “Um...build a raft?” Rumble suggested.

Diamond Tiara looked to Apple Bloom. “So Apple Bloom, I don’t suppose you and your friends have ever tried to do something like that?”

“Why do you assume we would do that?” Apple Bloom threw her hooves up.

Diamond Tiara raised an eyebrow at her.

Apple Bloom sighed. “Last Spring Break, we tried buildin’ a raft to sail down the Whitetail Woods river,” she relented.

“And? How did it go?”

“About as well as you’d expect.”

“I stand by what I said,” Scootaloo said. “If we had more duct tape, we would’ve been fine.”

Sweetie Belle face hoofed. “And we keep telling you that there was too much already. Why do you think the rudder was stuck in the first place? Why do you think we weren’t able to avoid the rock? Why do you think the ESS Driftwood sank? Because there was TOO MUCH DUCT TAPE!”

“Okay, alright you two!” Apple Bloom said. “I think we can agree that buildin’ a raft ain’t our strong suit.” She turned to Elecmon, who was too busy snickering into his paws. “Do you have an idea of how we can get there?”

Elecmon stood up, shaking the last of his laughter off. “Sorry about that, yes. I have a friend who can help you cross the Net Ocean. But, it’ll take a few days for him to get here.”

“Alright then, sounds like a plan,” Sweetie Belle nodded. “Goodnight Elecmon.”

Elecmon left the room, and everyone got back into bed. As Sweetie Belle climbed into her bed with Palmon, she glanced over to Babs, who was still looking out the window from her bed. “Hey, it’s okay,” Sweetie Belle whispered.

Babs Seed looked back to her. “Huh?”

“We may be stuck here for now, but we’ll find a way back home,” Sweetie Belle smiled. “And when we do, something tells me that we’re gonna have a doozy of a story to tell.”

“It’ll be a story of how we triumphed over overwhelming odds, and finally put an end to this struggle!” Sweetie Belle declared, looking at the battalion of In-Training Digimon in front of her, all of them sporting blue headbands. “This stalemate has been dragged out for too long. I know we’ve suffered more than a few losses, but we must fight for our captured teammates. Soon, we’ll storm the enemy position, take the objective, and we will be—”

“INCOMING ATTACK!” cried Rumble.

Sweetie Belle turned to see a small squad of In-Training Digimon wearing red headbands rush from behind a plush building, with Scootaloo leading the charge.

“Get them!” Sweetie Belle shouted before making a beeline towards Scootaloo.

“Go, go, go!” Scootaloo commanded, weaving her way past the opposing Digimon. As she galloped deeper into enemy territory, she focused on a small blue flag planted near a large felt block.

“SCOOTALOO!”

Scootaloo’s hair stood on end as she turned to see Sweetie Belle charging towards her. “YOU INTERRUPTED MY SPEECH!”

“Uh oh…” Scootaloo made a mad dash for the blue flag. Whether or not she managed to grab it at the moment didn’t matter, as long as she evaded the angry unicorn chasing her. Just when she was within a few feet of her goal however, disaster made its presence known.

“SNEAK ATTACK!” Scootaloo looked to her right in time bump heads with Babs Seed, who charged from behind the nearby block.

Sweetie Belle skidded to a stop, watching as her two friends rolled around, gripping their heads. “Oh my gosh, are you two okay?”

“Ugh...yeah, I’ll live,” Scootaloo groaned.

“Yep, just gimme a sec,” Babs Seed picked herself up. “Too bad I don’t have a head like Veemon,” she chuckled.

“Did you have to go all rhino on me Babs?” Scootaloo laughed.

“Sorry about that,” Babs Seed helped her up. “Oh, you’re out by the way.”

“Yeah, I’m going I’m going,” Scootaloo began trudging the opposite direction.

Sweetie Belle looked around, seeing a few Digimon with red headbands still running around. “Their offensive is broken. We need to launch a counterattack now!”

“Right!” Babs Seed nodded. “V, grab a few of our teammates and go for the flag! We’ll take care of the stragglers here!”

From the other side of the field, Veemon gave a salute. “Roger that B!” He motioned to a large group of Digimon guarding a line of cones dividing the field. “Let’s finish this! CHAAAARGE!”

On the other side of the cone line, Apple Bloom saw Veemon leading a large group of Digimon straight towards them. Off to the side, on the opposite end of the border she could see Rumble with a smaller group of Digimon, ready to backup the main attack group.

“So much for Scootaloo’s blitz attack,” muttered Apple Bloom. She turned to Diamond Tiara, who was fussing over the red headband on her head. “We need to push them back, then we can free Scootaloo and the others!”

On the edge of the field, right on the borderline, was a small squared off “jail” where numerous Digimon from both sides sat. Among them was Guilmon, Palmon, Silver Spoon, and the latest inmate, Scootaloo. Over the last few attacks, the red team’s numbers had dwindled to a small unit. From where Rumble was positioned, he could charge the flag the moment they sent someone to free their teammates from the jail. They had no choice but to have everyone guard the flag until they had an opening.

Apple Bloom turned to Armadillomon. “You ready?”

“You bet I am!” Armadillomon grinned.

Beside him, Terriermon stood ready. “None shall pass!”

The two sides collided. An intricate dance began to play out as some blue team members dodged red team members trying to tag them, and others skirted around the outskirts of the red base, daring the guards to leave their posts. With the red base surrounded, Rumble signalled to his squad to quietly dash up the left flank. The red team found themselves overwhelmed, scattered, and a few moments later, without a flag.

“We’ve got a runner!” Diamond Tiara shouted, pointing to a Koromon hopping towards the border with the red flag.

“I’m on it!” Apple Bloom reared up before charging towards the thief. Leaning her head forward, she put everything she had into a gallop worthy of the Running of the Leaves. But Koromon had a head start, and despite having a lack of feet, was moving very fast. All of the blue team members in jail cheered on the little Digimon as he closed the distance to the border, while the red team inmates did the same for Apple Bloom as she zeroed in on Koromon.

Just as Apple Bloom came within inches of tagging him, Koromon gave one last burst of energy, and leapt over the border.

“Koromon has captured the red team’s flag, giving blue team their third point,” Hawkmon announced from the sidelines. “Blue team wins!”

Cheers erupted from the blue side of the field, while the blues from the jail rushed out to carry Koromon around.

Armadillomon shot a look to Terriermon. “I thought you said you wouldn’t let them pass!”

“I didn’t see you doing any better!” he shot back.

“Guys, come on,” Bearmon appeared with cups of water. “It’s just a game, can’t we agree that we all had fun here?”

Armadillomon looked to Terriermon for a moment. “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” he smiled. “Sorry Terriermon.”

Terriermon shrugged. “Moumantai.”

Apple Bloom stumbled over to the water cooler with everyone else. She snatched a full cup of water, chugged it, refilled it, then dumped it on her head. “That little guy was fast,” she panted. “He ain’t got no legs, how is he so fast?”

“Aw, is it over?” Elecmon walked up to the cooler.

“Yep, just finished,” Scootaloo nodded before taking a drink of water.

“Aw nuts!” Elecmon slumped. “Oh well, I’m sure there’ll be plenty more of this...uh—”

“Capture the Flag?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Did you want to play a round, or just watch the game?”

“Yes, thank you,” Elecmon nodded. “And to answer your question, no to both. I was actually looking for all of you.”

Everyone looked up, sensing the meaning behind his words. “Wait, you mean…” Apple Bloom started.

Elecmon nodded. “He’ll be here soon. We’re going to meet him at the inlet near here. But before we do, I have something for you all.”

As he led them back to the cabin, everypony took in the sights, knowing that it would probably be the last time they would be here. Over the last four days of waiting, they had helped repair the village, cared for the Digimon, and even make friends with a few of them. Not to mention they had enjoyed the air of safety that surrounded the village.

Elecmon led them to the side of the cabin, where a variety of supplies were laid out on a tarp. “Some of the Gotsumon and I put this together in our spare time,” Elecmon gestured to the supplies. Among them was some rope, blankets, a small box of matches, a first aid kit, water canteens, a few rolls of toilet paper, and a large crate of food. Apple Bloom also spotted a small water filter, and a couple packs of what looked like water purification tablets.

Babs Seed glanced towards a small collection of notebooks and pencils. There was also a couple of small books nearby. “What are these?” Babs picked up a book, but was unable to make sense of its contents. What stood out was how large the writing was. Several pages were dominated by large symbols, with a few simple pictures. They also had several blank spaces, like someone was meant to write in them.

Veemon came over and borrowed the book from Babs. A look of recognition and confusion crossed his face. “Uh, Elecmon? Didn’t we already learn all of this?”

Elecmon laughed. “Yes you did. But don’t worry, these aren’t for you.”

“I’m confused,” Apple Bloom said, looking at one of the books with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. “What are these?”

“Those are to help you children learn Digicode.”

Scootaloo looked up at Elecmon. “Excuse me?”

“Well, I’d think it might help to learn the language we use in the Digital World, don’t you?”

Scootaloo looked from Elecmon back to the book, finally understanding why it filled her with an inexplicable sense of dread. It looked like one of the books she got during kindergarten when they started learning how to read and write. The context of this little book was filed in Scootaloo’s brain under two words which should never be together.

“Summer homework,” she groaned. “That’s great...just fantastic.”

Silver Spoon spotted a coin purse towards the front of the pile. Opening it up, she reached in and pulled out a few square coins. Each coin had a small circular hole in the center, but some were bronze, others were silver, and a couple of them were gold. Each coin was decorated with a series of lines that would branch off at seemingly random angles, creating patterns akin to a circuit board.

“Is this money?” Silver Spoon asked.

“Yes, those are bytes,” Elecmon nodded.

“Bites? Like taking a bite of food?”

Elecmon laughed. “No, bytes, with a y.” He walked over and pointed to the pile of coins in Silver Spoon’s hoof. “The bronze ones are kilobytes, which are each worth one byte. The silver ones are megabytes, those are worth ten bytes. And the gold ones are terabytes, which are worth twenty five bytes each. I think there’s about three hundred bytes in there, please don’t spend it all in one place.”

Apple Bloom starred at the collection of supplies. “Elecmon...I don’t know what to say,” she smiled. “Thank you so much, for everything. I know you’re probably tired of hearin’ us say that, but—”

“Hey losers!” a voice called out. Everyone turned to see Pagumon with a small cloth pouch next to him. “Think fast!” he said before picking up the pouch in his teeth and throwing it towards them.

Elecmon leapt into the air and caught it before it could get near everyone else. “Stop right there Pagumon!”

Pagumon, who had started hopping away after throwing the pouch, froze in place.

“I swear if this is another stink bomb…” Elecmon growled as he slowly opened the pouch. He peered into the bag, leaning back in caution. After a moment however, he looked into the bag with surprise, reaching into it to pull out a piece of wrapped candy. “What the...Pagumon is this from that stash of yours that I keep hearing about?”

“No,” Pagumon muttered. “That IS my stash.”

Most of the Digimon stared at him in shock. Bearmon walked over to Elecmon, peering into the bag. Inside he could see a small assortment of chocolates, caramels, and all sorts of sweets. “Pagumon…” Bearmon breathed. “Why are you—”

“DO NOT LOOK TOO DEEPLY INTO THIS, FUZZBALL!” Pagumon shouted. “Let me get one thing straight here: you all suck! I never liked you, I never liked your blue friend back there—” he gestured to Veemon, who clenched his fists with a growl. “And I still don’t like you. I don’t know why a sniveling little fuzz like you would be a partner to a DigiDestined, let alone Digivolve in the first place.” Pagumon sighed. “But...I suppose that if it wasn’t for you and your friends, we’d all be waiting to hatch again, or be part of some twisted Digimon’s experiments. So...thanks.”

Bearmon, who looked conflicted on whether to punch the little loudmouth into next week, simply nodded with a split second smile. “Well, I never thought I’d say this, but...thank you Pagumon.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Pagumon rolled his eyes before hopping away. “Just hurry up and get out of here.”

As he hopped away, Bearmon turned to the small pouch of sweets. “I wonder how it tasted,” he thought aloud.

“Huh?” Rumble cocked his head. “How did what taste?”

“His pride,” Bearmon said with a smug grin. “It must have been pretty bitter. It looked like he had trouble swallowing it.”

After dividing up the supplies between them, everypony followed Elecmon out of Primary Village. Along the way, Elecmon was giving them a few pointers on managing their supplies.

“Make sure you conserve your food and water on the way to Server. And no matter what, do not drink the sea water! Don’t even try to purify it!”

“Got it,” Apple Bloom nodded as she scrolled over her Digivice’s inventory. “Wow, I’m lovin’ these things! It’s so much easier than luggin’ everything around on your haunches in a saddlebag.”

“Definitely easier than carrying Rarity’s luggage up the trail to Winsome Falls,” Sweetie Belle agreed. All of the Crusaders laughed at the memory.

Soon they arrived at an inlet that separated the plains from the jungle. Nearby was a large dock, with no visible ships or boats in sight.

“So…” Diamond Tiara began. “Where’s your friend? And his boat for that matter?”

“He doesn’t have one,” Elecmon answered.

“Wait, what?” Diamond Tiara looked bewildered. “Then how the hay is he gonna get us across the ocean?”

Elecmon smiled. “You’ll see…”

A few moments later, a massive creature emerged from the surf, gliding through the water towards the dock. At first glance, it appeared to be a whale, with its deep blue color and massive size. Atop its head however, was a large shell of thick, bronze colored blubber, which ran down its back towards the base of its dorsal fin. While the shell on its head appeared to be solid, the part that covered its back seemed to resemble a large spinal column and set of ribs. It had no visible eyes, and had metal cables where they would be, which ran along the side of its body.

“Whamon, it’s good to see you again!” Elecmon greeted.

“Likewise,” Whamon said, his voice booming yet gentle. “Are these the passengers that you told me about?”

“Yes they are. These are Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Babs Seed, Rumble, Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, and their partner Digimon.”

“Partner Digimon? So, they really are DigiDestined?” Whamon chuckled. “When a Gomamon came to me saying that you needed to get a group of DigiDestined from File Island to Server, I was sure that this was another one of your pranks. I’m sorry I doubted you old friend.”

“So...this is your friend?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Hello...Whamon, was it?”

“Hello there, little one,” Whamon replied. “Are you and your friends ready to go?”

The Cutie Mark Crusaders looked to each other for a moment before nodding. Turning back to Whamon, Sweetie Belle smiled and said, “Yeah, I think we are.”

“Well then, hop aboard,” Whamon lowered himself so that everyone could get on his back.

Rumble stood on the dock as everyone began to climb onto Whamon’s back. He looked out toward the ocean, uncertainty and doubt racing through his mind. Are we really doing this? Is this actually happening? He knew by now that this whole thing wasn’t some crazy dream, despite how bizarre the situation was. The reality of the situation was finally beginning to set in, as well as the possible dangers it presented. The thought made his heart race, and breathing short.

“You okay?” Bearmon asked, snapping Rumble out of his thoughts.

“Y-yeah, I’m good,” Rumble smiled. He turned back to Whamon, and with a deep breath, climbed aboard.

As the last of the group got on Whamon’s back, Elecmon called to them. “Well, I guess this is goodbye. You all take care of yourselves now.”

“We will,” Apple Bloom said. “Thanks again.”

“Alright then, off we go!” Whamon turned around and began to swim out towards the Net Ocean. As they left, everyone looked to see a large group of In-Training and Fresh level Digimon dashing towards the dock, with a few Gotsumon desperately trying to catch up to them. When they reached the dock, they joined Elecmon in bidding them goodbye, jumping up and down, and emitting cute squeaks.

“Goodbye everyone!” Guilmon waved.

Everyone smiled as they waved back to the impromptu farewell party. As the shouting faded into the distance, they continued to stare at the steadily retreating island.

“Huh,” Veemon muttered. “It’s a lot smaller than I thought it was.”

“Yeah,” Armadillomon nodded. “Weird…”

Diamond Tiara sighed as she stared at File Island. “Well...this is it. No turning back now, is there?”

“Nope,” Babs Seed shook her head. “We’re really doin’ this.”

Sweetie Belle looked out over the water for a moment before speaking her mind. “We are in way over our heads here.” The water seemed to grow silent. Turning back, she saw Apple Bloom and Scootaloo staring at her like her mane had suddenly switched colors without her knowledge. “What? We are.”

“Yeah, but…” Scootaloo started. “You say that like you’re not used to it. I mean, you hang out with us!”

The three fillies stared at each other for a moment before bursting out in a fit of laughter. “Okay, you got me there!” Sweetie Belle giggled.

“Hey, I’m a bit nervous too,” Scootaloo admitted. “But I’m also kinda excited. I mean, think about it. As far as we know, we’re the first ponies to ever set hoof in this world!”

Apple Bloom’s eyes sparkled at the thought. “Yeah, you’re right!” She turned to everypony else. “Ya hear that everypony? We’re officially pioneers of the Digital World!”

A smile slowly made its way onto the faces of everypony. The idea of being the first ponies to explore a new world filled them with a sense of pride. Fantasies of epic adventures worthy of Daring Do herself began to fill their heads, and they soon found themselves just as excited as Scootaloo.

Apple Bloom trotted up to Sweetie Belle, putting a hoof on her back. “You’re right though, we are in over our heads. Way more than usual,” she chuckled. “But Scootaloo’s right too, it ain’t the first time. And we’re gonna face this together, just like we always have.”

Apple Bloom put her left hoof forward, where it was soon joined by Sweetie Belle’s and Scootaloo’s. She looked up to everypony else, gesturing to the gathering. Babs Seed was the first to step forward, a smile on her face as she put her left hoof on top. One by one, the remaining DigiDestined put their left hooves forward, adding to the hoof stack.

Apple Bloom looked up to the circle of friends, both old and new, and felt stronger than ever. Glancing back down into the circle, she watched as the sunlight gleamed off of each of their Digivices. “We can do this everypony. No matter how rough the road ahead will get, we’ll get through this together!”

Everypony threw their hooves into the air in a cheer, tossing all of their doubts overboard. With a feeling of purpose and pride filling their hearts, everypony joined their Digimon partners, gazing towards the horizon. None of them knew what mysteries, what dangers, would await them beyond the endless expanse of blue. But they knew that when it would come, they would be ready for it!

Interlude 1: Are We There Yet?

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Within a couple of hours after leaving File Island, the seafaring DigiDestined were forced to face an old, familiar, and terrible foe. One that seemed to be everywhere and nowhere. An age old enemy that struck when things were most quiet, threatening to drive its victims into madness. Everyone was familiar with it, everyone dreaded it, but children were especially vulnerable. Some might argue that it is the very bane of every child, their mortal enemy.

Scootaloo cried out in agony as she felt its claws gripping her soul, its tendrils prodding her mind and dulling her senses. Falling onto her back, she stared up at the blue sky as she felt herself wasting away inside.

“Scootaloo?” Mustering up one last ounce of energy, she turned to see Guilmon looking concerned. “Are you okay?”

“No…” Scootaloo groaned. “I’m so bored…”

“We know Scoots, we know,” Apple Bloom said, irritated. “I think you made that clear the last four times ya said that.”

“Okay, cool. Glad we're all on the same page.” Scootaloo looked around to see everyone sprawled out across Whamon’s back. Clearly, the wicked phantom had struck everyone else to some degree. “So...what are we gonna do about it?”

Sweetie Belle sat up. “Apple Bloom, didn't you say you packed that deck of cards from Mt. Panorama? How about we play a little Go Fish, or Rummy?”

Apple Bloom sighed, breathing in the salty air and feeling the breeze across her face. “With this kind of wind, we’d probably be playin’ 52 Pickup instead.”

“Is that any fun?” Guilmon asked. “How do we play that?”

Apple Bloom looked at Guilmon with a vacant expression. “All fifty two cards in the deck are scattered, and someone picks ‘em up.”

Guilmon cocked his head. “That's it? That doesn't sound very fun, it just sounds like we’d lose a lot of the—” Guilmon stopped, the gears in his head could almost be heard clicking together. “Ohhh…”

Everyone felt a slight flip in their gut as Whamon hit another small wave. A small gasp made Apple Bloom turn to Armadillomon, who stood tense away from the edges of Whamon’s back. “You okay Armadillomon? You’ve been like this since we left the island.”

Armadillomon looked up to Apple Bloom with a nervous smile. “What, me? I’m fine, fit as a fiddle! Hehehe…”

Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow as another, much bigger wave made him jump back a little. “Are you scared of water?”

“No no, I’m not scared of the water,” Armadillomon shook his head. “I guess I’m...just a little nervous ‘cause I can’t swim.”

“Oh...” Apple Bloom nodded. She put a hoof on his back, rubbing his shell with a comforting smile. “It’s okay, you’ll be fine. I won’t let ya fall. And if it makes ya feel any better, you’re handlin’ things pretty well, despite that.”

Diamond Tiara propped herself up on a foreleg. “Yeah, speaking of handling the sea, how’s your cousin holding up?”

Apple Bloom turned to the front of Whamon, where Babs Seed sat next to Veemon. She stared out into the horizon like a sentry. Apple Bloom made her way towards Babs, taking care not to slip on the smoother parts of Whamon’s blubber. As she got closer, she could hear her muttering something under her breath.

“Hey Babs...you alright?”

Babs Seed ignored her, focusing her gaze on the ocean. “Eyes on the horizon…” she muttered. “Just focus on the horizon...take deep breaths...eyes on the horizon...eyes on the horizon...eyes on the—” she stopped suddenly, her ears folding back. “Oh geez!”

Babs Seed brushed past Apple Bloom without a word, her face turning a bit green.

Veemon got up to follow her. “Here we go again,” he sighed.

Apple Bloom watched as Babs hurried towards the edge of Whamon. Veemon walked up to her, holding her so that she could lean over the side without falling off. Apple Bloom’s face turned sour as she saw Babs’ body lurch slightly.

“So...not feelin’ any better, I guess?” Apple Bloom said over the sound of Babs retching.

A few moments later, Babs Seed stumbled back towards the others and found a spot to lay down. “I am so sorry Whamon,” she groaned.

“It’s alright child,” Whamon chuckled. “Nothing a dip in the ocean won’t fix.”

“Ugh...are we there yet?” Scootaloo moaned.

“Scootaloo, how long did you think this trip was going to take?” Hawkmon asked.

“I don't know, a day or two?”

“Sorry, but it’ll take us about five days to reach Server.”

“FIVE DAYS?”

“Why do you think Elecmon gave us a week’s worth of food?” Hawkmon asked.

A collective groan resounded across Whamon.

“Aw, come on everypony,” Apple Bloom said. “It could be worse.”

“How?” Scootaloo groaned.

“Well—”

“—It could be rainin’,” Diamond Tiara mimicked Apple Bloom’s accent. “You just had to open your big mouth didn’t you!”

“Alright, I’m sorry I tempted fate!” Apple Bloom shouted over the rain falling on the tarp.

As night began to fall, a light rainstorm had crossed their current course. With Whamon’s permission, everyone worked quickly to lay the tarp over an upper section of Whamon’s spine, between two ribs, lashing the rope to some of his pipes to prevent it from blowing away.

Now, everyone lay huddled on either side of the spinal column, packed like sardines, but secure and relatively dry.

Apple Bloom could hear Babs Seed groaning on the other side of the shelter, along with the complaints of everyone packed together. She sighed as she watched the silhouettes of the raindrops running along the tarp. It’s gonna be a long night… she thought.

Sweetie Belle and a few of the other passengers were sunbathing in the afternoon sunlight, having returned from a quick dip in the ocean to cool off. As they relaxed, some of the Digimon had some questions regarding pony culture, which Sweetie Belle and Silver Spoon were happy to answer.

“And what do you call it? A heartsong?” Palmon asked.

“Yeah,” Sweetie Belle nodded.

“So, let me get this straight,” Veemon put a hand to his forehead. “Ponies will just burst into a musical number at the drop of a hat?”

“Well, certain conditions have to be met,” Silver Spoon fixed her ponytail. “It’s not entirely clear what these conditions are all the time, but I think they usually have to do with emotions and a certain magical affinity in the local area.”

“And they don’t rehearse it beforehand?” Terriermon asked. “It just happens right off the bat, and everyone sings their part right the first time?”

“Yep, pretty much,” Sweetie Belle nodded.

“That’s—” Veemon started.

“Neat!” Guilmon butted in.

“I was gonna say weird.”

“What’s so weird about singin’?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Nothing,” Terriermon shrugged. “But you gotta admit that singing a musical number out of the blue is a little odd.”

“Not where we come from,” Sweetie Belle smiled. “Hey Babs, you ever take part in a heartsong?”

Everyone looked to the poor amber filly laying on her side, whose only response was a weak groan.

“Yeah, she’s still out of it,” Scootaloo sighed.

“Poor girl…” Diamond Tiara said.

“Hey, we’ve got dolphins!” Rumble waved everyone over to the side.

Everyone rushed to Rumble, peering over the side. Sure enough, a few silhouettes could be made out in the wake that Whamon was creating. Soon, dolphin-esque creatures began leaping out of the water.

“Hey Whamon,” one greeted. “Ya got time for a race?”

“Hello Dolphmon,” Whamon replied. “I’m afraid I can’t right now, I have passengers to get to the Server continent.”

Sweetie Belle stuck out her tongue in concentration as she aimed her Digivice’s analyzer at the leaping Dolphmon. “Hold on...just a little bit more...got it!” Her Digivice chirped as it displayed Dolphmon’s stats.

Name: Dolphmon
Level: Champion
Attribute: Vaccine
Attacks:
Pulse Blast
Dolphin Kick
Bon Voyage

“Hey Babs, check this out!” Apple Bloom helped up Babs Seed, guiding her to see the pod of Dolphmon leaping out of the water. Everyone cheered as the Dolphmon flipped and twirled in the air, putting on a small show for them.

“Hehe, that’s pretty cool…” Babs Seed managed to smile.

“Hey, are you okay?” one of the Dolphmon asked. “You’re looking a little green.”

“She’s just a little seasick,” Apple Bloom said.

“Oh, hold on a sec.” Dolphmon dove straight down, vanishing into the deep blue. A few moments later, he returned with a strand of seaweed in his jaws. “Catch!” Dolphmon tossed the seaweed, which landed on Diamond Tiara.

“Ew!” Diamond Tiara peeled the wet seaweed off her face. “What was that for?”

“Eat one of the seeds,” Dolphmon said.

Diamond Tiara took a look at the strand of seaweed in her hooves. Towards the middle, a small bunch of squishy orange pods were clustered like grapes on a vine. Each pod looked like the size of a small plum. “What, these things? Are you sure these will help?” she asked. Before anyone could answer, Babs Seed snatched the seaweed from her.

“Hey, at this point, I’ll try anythin’!” Babs Seed quickly picked off one of the pods. She stared at it with slight apprehension before tossing it into her mouth, slowly chewing it up before swallowing it.

“Well, how’d it taste?” Scootaloo asked.

“It was kinda sour...” Babs Seed grimaced. “And salty.”

A gurgling noise began to emanate from Babs’ stomach, growing louder and louder.

“I think her tummy’s getting angry!” Guilmon hid behind Scootaloo.

“She’s gonna blow!” Sweetie Belle ducked into the tarp shelter.

Babs Seed tried making her way to the other side of Whamon, but the rumbling in her gut kept her rooted in place. It kept growing and growing until…

UUUURRRRRRRRRRPPP!

Babs Seed covered her mouth, hiding behind her mane as a blush spread across her face. All around her, her friends stared at her with gaping mouths and wide eyes.

“‘Scuse me…” she muttered.

“Bahahahaha!” Scootaloo rolled around on her back, hind legs kicking in the air as she laughed. “Nice one Babs, that was awesome!”

“Meh,” Rumble shrugged. “I’ve seen better.”

All around her, the laughter spread to everyone else, even to the Dolphmon in the water. While the overall situation was embarrassing beyond belief, she couldn’t help but chuckle at her own expense.

“So Babs, did it work?” Apple Bloom chuckled.

Babs Seed put a hoof to her belly. The queasiness and flipping in her stomach that had plagued her for the past day and a half had suddenly vanished. “Yeah, I feel much better!” She turned to the water. “Thanks Dolphmon!”

The Dolphmon stood on their tails in the water, moving backwards while shouting their farewells.

“Well, that was a nice little show,” Hawkmon said. “But now that Babs is feeling better, maybe we can work on your DigiCode?”

Horror flashed across Babs’ face for a moment. “Uh...oh no! I think my seasickness is coming back!”

“Yeah, I’m suddenly not feeling so good either,” Scootaloo gripped her barrel and lay on her side, making over-exaggerated moans.

Hawkmon stared at the two fillies with a blank look on his face. “Nice try…” he said wryly.

Babs Seed dropped the pen she had in her mouth, and tossed the notebook she was holding into a pile of other notebooks. A small part of her wanted to make a bonfire out of them. She doubted that she would get any objections from anypony else, but realized that Whamon probably wouldn’t be happy about it.

“Ya know, my sista had to take two years of Germane in high school,” Babs Seed sighed. “She would always go on about how much of a pain it was to learn a new language. And now I know why.”

Many of the other ponies groaned in agreement as they stared at the open notebook in front of them. For the past few hours, Hawkmon guided the little ponies as best he could as they struggled to relearn the alphabet. Fortunately, they had learned that words spelled in Ponish were more or less spelled the same way in Digicode. It was just a matter of deducing which symbol translated into which letter. A fact that Sweetie Belle was quick to jump on.

“It’s kinda like when we tried getting Cutie Marks in cryptography,” Sweetie Belle smiled.

“Cryptography? What’s that?” Babs Seed asked.

“It’s pretty much writing and solving secret codes.”

“You mean like spies?” Babs Seed asked with a smile. “That sounds cool!”

“Believe me, it’s not as fun as it sounds,” Scootaloo sighed.

Babs stared at the open notebook before her. After several failed attempts, everypony had eventually managed to write their own names in DigiCode.

“Oh don’t kick yourselves,” Hawkmon encouraged. “No one learns something new overnight.”

“Why do we need to learn this anyway?” Rumble grumbled. “I mean, you guys can read DigiCode, can’t you?”

“Well, yeah,” Bearmon nodded. “But don’t you want to know how to read this stuff too? It’ll probably help a lot if we hit any towns on the Server continent.”

“How big is the Server continent?” Diamond Tiara asked.

“From what I hear, it’s one of the largest land masses in the Digital World,” Bearmon said.

“You heard right Bearmon,” Whamon said. “Used to be mostly desert, but I heard that it has changed quite a bit over the years.”

“Changed? How?” Apple Bloom asked. “You mean like more towns have been poppin’ up on it?”

“Well, yes. But I’m also talking about the continent’s terrain changing as well. You see, here in the Digital World, the features of any landscape can undergo drastic changes at any given moment. Did Elecmon tell you the story of the Dark Masters?”

“The group of evil Digimon that were stopped by a group of human DigiDestined?” Silver Spoon asked. “Oh yeah, I think he said that they turned the entire Digital World into some kind of giant mountain.”

“Spiral Mountain. Yes, that was a dark time for all Digimon.” Whamon chuckled. “Would you believe me if I told you that I actually met those DigiDestined long ago, and that I helped protect them from one of the Dark Masters?”

“No way!” Palmon gasped.

“Yes way. They saved me from a Black Gear that I swallowed by accident, and I helped them fight MetalSeadramon himself.”

“You defeated MetalSeadramon?” Veemon said, his eyes sparkling.

“Well...not exactly.”

“What happened?” Armadillomon asked.

Whamon stayed silent for a long time before chuckling. “There’s no need to concern yourself with that. Just know that was the last great battle I ever took part in, and hopefully will ever take part in.”

“Um...Mr. Whamon?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Hmm?”

“Do you think we can be like them, the DigiDestined in Elecmon’s stories? Can we be as great as they were?”

“Elecmon seemed to see something in you. And listening to you all these past three days, you remind me a lot of those seven human children who rode on my back with their partners centuries ago. Yes, I think you all have the potential to be like them, if not better.”

Babs Seed could see her cousin swelling with pride, and couldn’t help but smile at the praise herself.

“Well, how about you all try spelling your names one more time before we eat dinner?” Hawkmon suggested.

And just like that, Hawkmon had poked a pin in the proverbial balloon as everypony around him groaned. Babs reached for the practice notebook, and was about to reach for another notebook containing a key they had made to help them translate DigiCode, only to have it snatched by Hawkmon.

“Without the cheat sheet,” he grinned smugly.

Babs Seed looked from Hawkmon to the notebook in her hooves, and gulped.

Apple Bloom smiled as she gazed at the clear night sky, watching the billions of stars twinkling in the sky. It still held the captivation of everyone onboard, despite having seen it almost every night for more than a week. Unlike their first night in the Digital World however, they weren’t watching it through a small window in the treeline. Being on the ocean gave everyone a complete panoramic view of the stellar spectacle in the sky.

“I don’t think I’ll eva’ get tired of seein’ this,” Babs Seed thought aloud.

Apple Bloom looked over to see everyone laying down, eyes turned to the sky in wonder and awe. In Sweetie Belle’s case however, she could her face scrunched in concentration.

“Sweetie Belle, what’s wrong?” Apple Bloom leaned on her elbow.

“I can’t find the Big Dipper anywhere,” she sighed.

Apple Bloom glanced back up to the stars. “Your tryin’ to find the Big Dipper in that light show up there? Good luck girl.”

“Somehow I doubt you’ll find it up there,” Silver Spoon said. “The stars are probably positioned differently.”

“How do ya figure that?”

“Hmm…” Silver Spoon sat up, opening her Digivice’s inventory. “You girls remember the Canterlot Statue Gardens?”

Apple Bloom felt pale for a moment, and she could see the same discomfort on the faces of the rest of the Crusaders. That little field trip took place a couple of years ago, and it wasn’t exactly a great time for any of them. But in particular, she remembered a certain statue of a certain crazy draconequus, and how that statue seemed to come to life not long after they had a...disagreement near it.

“W-what about it?” Apple Bloom asked.

Silver Spoon had taken out the small pouch of sweets, and was taking out several pieces of candy and spreading them out in front of her.

“Let’s say that this is you,” Silver Spoon held up a piece of taffy before placing it on the edge of the scattered candy. “From where you’re standing you see the Statue of Victory here to your left, the Statue of Friendship to your far right, and the Windigo’s Storm here.” She pointed to various pieces of candy as she talked.

“Uh huh,” Apple Bloom nodded.

“Now, let’s say Scootaloo is over here, on the opposite side of the garden,” Silver Spoon pulled out a caramel and placed it on the other side of the model. “From her point of view, the Statue of Victory is to her far right, the Statue of Friendship is close to her left, and she can barely see the Windigo’s Storm because it’s behind the Statue of Chancellor Puddinghead, which you can’t see from where you are standing.”

Silver Spoon quickly scooped up the candy before anyone got any ideas, depositing it back into the pouch and placing it back into her Digivice’s inventory. “You’re both seeing the same statues, but to you they’re in different places.”

Babs Seed looked back up to the stars. “So...these could be the same stars. But since we’re on a different world, they look like they’re in different places?”

“And that means the constellations are all different,” Sweetie Belle reasoned.

Apple Bloom gazed longfully up at the stars. “Do you think our world is somewhere up there?”

“Maybe...maybe,” Silver Spoon nodded.

Apple Bloom continued to scan the night sky, her eyelids starting to grow heavy. Then she saw two stars close together, both of them seeming to wink at her. She smiled as she turned on her side, pulling a blanket over herself and a sleeping Armadillomon.

It was comforting to know that they were still watching over her, even here.

The next morning, Sweetie Belle felt the morning sun on her, making the blanket she was tucked in uncomfortable. With a groan, she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and stretched, feeling a slight tension concentrated in a small patch on the back of her neck; no doubt the start of a sunburn. Running a hoof through her fur and mane, she grew frustrated with how matted everything was starting to feel, and the sea salt in the air was making her itchy!

Feeling the blood flow returning to her limbs, she made her way over to the top of Whamon’s head, where everyone else was eating breakfast. They seemed focused on something, many of their expressions twisted in serious concentration. Sitting down next to Palmon, she waited for someone to speak up, eager to hear what was so important.

Babs Seed blew her mane out of her face. “The ability to run at super speeds in reverse.”

Sweetie Belle did a double take. Uh...what?

“What, like Filly Second?” Scootaloo asked.

“Yeah, but you can only run at that speed when runnin’ backwards.”

“Eh…” Scootaloo shrugged.

Babs Seed rolled her eyes. “Oh please, it’s way better than what you came up with. ‘The power to turn invisible after sittin’ still for sixty seconds.’ Seriously?”

“Think about it: you could be standing in line for coffee or something, and then you just disappear! The whole store would freak out!”

“Have you been to a coffee shop? Everypony’s so brain dead goin’ in, the pony behind you’d probably just assume you’ve left and try to move forward.” Babs Seed giggled at the possibilities.

“Uh...what’s going on here?” Sweetie Belle stared at the circle in which this absurd conversation was happening.

“They’re debating on the best worst super powers,” Palmon replied, handing her a small container of dried banana slices. “It’s been funny just listening to them go back and forth.”

“Alright, I got one!” Diamond Tiara put her hoof up. “The power to harness lightning...but only during an earthquake.”

Back and forth this debate went, prompting a few lighthearted arguments, and more than a few laughs. The absurd super power proposals flew left and right until until Terriermon pointed to something on the horizon.

“LAND HO!” Terriermon shouted. Everyone rushed to the front of Whamon.

“Where?” Silver Spoon squinted her eyes. “I swear if you’re pulling my leg…”

Terriermon climbed onto Silver Spoon’s back, much to her chagrin. He grabbed onto her head, pointing her towards a point on the horizon.

“Right there, see?” Terriermon pointed excitedly.

Sweetie Belle squinted. Sure enough, there was a long gray strip of land on the horizon, which was steadily getting bigger as they drifted closer.

“Whamon, is that it?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Is that the Server continent?”

“Yes it is,” Whamon replied.

A cheer resounded across the ocean. Finally, after five days of confinement on top of a whale monster, they had reached dry land.

They had arrived at Server.

Chapter 10: Logging into Server...

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When Whamon pulled up to the shore of the Server continent, Scootaloo was the first to disembark.

“Wahoo!” she cheered as she slid down Whamon, landing on the shore. “We finally made it!”

Guilmon landed on the shore, taking in the trees, the plains, and the distant mountains. “We’re on the Server continent,” he said, a smile stretching from ear to ear. “I’m actually off of File Island!”

“That we are big guy!” Veemon came up behind them, Babs Seed in tow.

“I...I always dreamed about leaving the village and exploring the island. But now...I get to explore the Digital World with my new best friends. This is the greatest thing ever!”

Scootaloo chuckled as Guilmon danced in place. “Yeah! Not gonna lie, I’m getting pretty excited too.”

Looking back, she watched Apple Bloom and Armadillomon slide down to join them.

“Oh, sweet solid ground,” Armadillomon dug his paws into the dirt. “How I missed you.”

“You and me both!” Palmon rushed off to a grassy area nearby.

Sweetie Belle trotted up to Palmon, who stood up straight, looking relaxed as she shifted her feet deeper into the soil. She then extended the tendrils from her fingertips into the ground, spreading them in the dirt around her, as if she were planting herself.

“Uh, Palmon...what are you doing?”

“Give me a moment,” Palmon closed her eyes before shaking a little. “Just getting a drink of water.”

Sweetie Belle looked down to see a series of small bulges traveling up Palmon’s vines.

“Wait, are you…” Sweetie Belle trailed off.

“Ahhh…that’s the stuff,” Palmon finished up with a shiver, retracting her tendrils. She opened her eyes to see Sweetie Belle staring at her. “What?”

“Oh, uh...sorry,” Sweetie Belle rubbed the back of her head. “I didn’t mean to stare. I guess I just forgot you were a plant Digimon for a moment there.”

“Hey, could somepony help me with this?” Rumble called out, gesturing to the tarp shelter that had protected them during their journey.

“I got this side!” Apple Bloom trotted over to the pipes to untie them. “Rumble, do you think you could fly over ta the other side and get the ropes there?”

“On it,” Rumble nodded, flying over to the opposite side of Whamon.

“Thanks again for lettin’ us put this up Mr. Whamon,” Apple Bloom said as she began untying the various knots.

“No trouble at all,” Whamon bellowed. “But may I ask why you turned down my offer to ride inside my mouth? I assured you all that it was perfectly safe, and spacious enough to fit all of you.”

Apple Bloom bit her lip. “We appreciate that. But I don’t think any of us liked the idea of sittin’ in someone else’s mouth. Especially with one of us havin’ a bad case of seasickness.”

“Fair enough.”

Untying the last of the rope, Rumble carried the tarp down to Apple Bloom, who folded it up and stored it in her Digivice’s inventory.

“That everything?” Apple Bloom asked.

Everyone checked their Digivices while Rumble checked along the top of Whamon.

“I think we’re a go!” Scootaloo nodded.

“Well Whamon,” Apple Bloom said. “Any advice before we head out?”

“Hmm…” Whamon thought about that for a moment before answering. “I won’t sugarcoat it for all of you, the road ahead will be difficult. The Digimon here are stronger than the ones on File Island. But if you stick together, trust in one another, and watch each other’s backs, then you’ll be able to make it through any challenge that bars your way.”

Everyone looked to each other and nodded.

“Got it!” Rumble said.

“Well then, I suppose there's nothing left to do but wish you all the best of luck. Farewell!”

“Goodbye Whamon,” Sweetie Belle waved as he swam into the surf. “Thanks for the ride!”

A chorus of farewells joined her as Whamon began to dive. With a wave of his tail and a long, deep pitched whistle, Whamon vanished into the deep blue waters.

“So...now what?” Rumble asked.

A series of beeps made everypony look down at their Digivices. On the screens, a familiar sigil appeared: an opening eye inside a diamond.

“Anahita?” Sweetie Belle asked.

All the Digivices switched to their map functions, where it showed that they were all on the coastline on the southeastern side of the continent. A marker appeared further inland on the map.

“Does she want us to go there? Is that the village she mentioned last week?” Sweetie Belle turned off her map, but Anahita’s sigil was gone.

“I guess so…” Apple Bloom studied the marker on her map. “Looks like the terrain starts to get real uneven ‘round there. From the looks of this, the town is practically kissin’ a mountain.”

Diamond Tiara blanched. “Um...maybe this isn’t a good idea. We don’t exactly have the best track record when it comes to mountains around here.”

“Well we don’t exactly have much else to go on,” Scootaloo shrugged. “I mean, yeah you have a point. But we got some tough Digimon on our side this time. What’s the worst that could—”

“Do not finish that sentence!” Sweetie Belle shouted.

Scootaloo chuckled. “Thanks Sweetie Belle.”

“Alright, how about we get goin’ before Scootaloo accidently dooms us all?” Babs Seed suggested.

“Good idea,” Scootaloo nodded. “Alright, let’s do this thing!”

A couple hours of walking led them through a vast forest, which soon made way for various hills and small mountains. Anahita’s marker guided them to one of the larger mountains, where the village was supposed to be. The DigiDestined found the village, but it was not next to the mountain like Apple Bloom had guessed. To everyone’s fascination, the village was built inside of the mountain, sheltered within the cliffs.

It looked as if the village was first constructed under the shelter of the largest cliff. But later, as the village expanded, dwellings began to appear carved within the mountain face. As they climbed up a stone stairway leading into the village, Rumble could’ve sworn that he saw small flames dancing in the windows, and even moving along the streets. He shook his head, dismissing this as a trick played by the daylight.

As they entered the village, the sounds of distant chatter filled the air. All around them, various Digimon filled the streets, mainly In-Training and Rookie level, judging from their sizes. But many of the village occupants appeared to resemble giant walking candles. Rumble managed to catch one in his analyzer.

Name: Candlemon
Level: Rookie
Attribute: Data
Attacks:
Lava Loogie
Paraffin Paralyzer
Candle Night

“Any ideas on how we find the Digimon in charge of this place?” Silver Spoon asked.

“Well, there’s the obvious method. Observe…” Scootaloo said, walking to a nearby Candlemon with Guilmon. “Excuse me, can I ask you something?”

The Candlemon looked up, his reflecting curiosity and joy for a moment, before quickly shifting to horror. Before Scootaloo could get another word out, the Candlemon hopped away in a panic.

“Masterfully done Scootaloo,” Silver Spoon shook her head.

“What...what did I do?” Scootaloo looked back to her friends, but only got shrugs in return.

As they continued walking through the village, it seemed to get quieter. Villagers would give them guarded looks or flee in a panic. Digimon peering through windows would quickly duck for cover when the ponies made eye contact with them.

“Am I the only one thinkin’ we might not be welcome here?” Apple Bloom said, watching a Candlemon usher some In-Training Digimon inside before slamming the door shut.

“Yeah, I’m getting some nasty vibes from this place…” Sweetie Belle shivered.

“Moumantai everyone,” Terriermon chirped. “I heard Candlemon can be notorious recluses, but they’re not dangerous.”

“HALT!”

A trio of Candlemon rushed around a nearby building, cutting them off from the front. Not a second after, several more hopped out from nearby alleys to surround them. All of them were armed with cutlasses, which gleamed in the light cast by their flames.

Everypony stood frozen while the Digimon got ready for a fight. Guilmon bared his teeth in a growl, which only made the Candlemon move closer, their flames growing bigger.

“Take it easy Guilmon,” Scootaloo whispered.

“You, strangers!” one of the Candlemon shouted. “What business do you have here?”

“Do you always greet visitors like this?” Veemon chuckled.

“Not helpin’ V!” Babs Seed hissed.

Before anyone else could respond, Rumble confidently walked towards the lead Candlemon and put his hooves up. “Take us to your leader,” he smiled.

The Candlemon looked to one another while Rumble looked over his shoulder. Behind him, everyone else looked to him like they were unsure whether to laugh, groan, or bury their face in a foreleg. “What?” he shrugged. “I’ve always wanted to say that.”

The Candlemon marched the DigiDestined through the village, cutlasses drawn. Any attempts to start a conversation with them were shut down with a glare. While they seemed to be cautious around most of her friends, Scootaloo couldn’t help but notice that they seemed to be more focused on her and Guilmon.

They soon reached the center of the village. The house that stood in front of them appeared no different than the other sandstone buildings around it. And yet, it still aired a sense of authority and wisdom. One of the Candlemon warriors entered the house, soon returning with another in tow.

The Candlemon that emerged from the house seemed to be older than the others. He had a large white mustache made of the wax that the rest of his body was made of. It also carried a large match like a staff.

“What seems to be the problem here?” the elder Candlemon said. He glanced over the ponies in front of him, intrigued until his gaze met Guilmon.

“We found them entering the village sir. And they brought this one with them,” a Candlemon warrior replied, prodding Guilmon with his cutlass. “A Marked One!”

The other Candlemon grumbled angrily.

“Now hold on everyone,” Apple Bloom put her hooves up. “We didn’t come lookin’ for trouble. We’re DigiDestined, and we came ta—”

A few chuckles spread condescendingly through the Candlemon. “Yeah, and I’m one of the Harmonious Ones,” one of them chuckled. He turned to the elder. “Sir, this is a bad omen. First, one of our most important artifacts gets stolen. And now a Marked One walks into our home with these...strange creatures claiming to be DigiDestined!”

“Hmm…” the elder Candlemon nodded. “Yes, this bodes ill. Put the Marked One in a cell, and keep a close eye on the others. I’ll consult the Oracle.”

“Wait, you mean Guilmon?” Scootaloo panicked. “Hold on, he’s a friend. He didn’t do anything wrong!”

“Come on now,” the Candlemon made to grab Guilmon.

Scootaloo shoved the Candlemon away, making them draw their cutlasses. “Stop! We are DigiDestined, and he’s my partner!”

“Please, a Digimon as dangerous as that? A partner to a DigiDestined? Yggdrasil would never allow it!”

Despite the protests from everyone else, the Candlemon continued their attempts to herd them away.

This is bad! Scootaloo thought as she stood in front of Guilmon. Why don’t they believe us? Can’t they see our Digivices? How else are we supposed to prove— Scootaloo’s eyes widened. “Wait a minute!” she weaved through the Candlemon warriors and looked to the elder. “The extinguished torch burns brightly once more.”

The elder gasped. “Stop!” he commanded. The warriors complied, releasing Guilmon, but keeping their cutlasses drawn. He hopped down to Scootaloo. “What did you say?”

Scootaloo gulped. “T-the extinguished torch burns brightly once more.”

The elder Candlemon looked from her to Guilmon, and then over to the rest of her friends. He stared at them all for a few moments before closing his eyes, a small smile hidden beneath his mustache. “So, she was telling the truth. After hundreds of years…” he muttered. He waved a hand to the warriors. “Run along now, I’ll handle this.”

Reluctantly, the Candlemon made their way down the streets. “I apologize for the...rather rough introduction. So, where did you hear those words?”

“Someone named Anahita told us to come find you. She told us to say that,” Scootaloo replied.

“Anahita…” he nodded. “If she told you the words, then that means that she must see it too. The stars were right, dark days are ahead.”

“You know her?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Not personally. She’s an old friend and ally to our people. She usually communicates through a messenger, trading books or requesting my appraisal of an artifact. And sometimes she just sends letters or the occasional batch of baked goods.

“You see, as leader of Candlelight Village, it is my sacred duty to protect my people. To that end, I consult the stars and the Oracle to warn me of any threats. One of my most recent readings was...very troubling. I reached out to Anahita, and she told me that Mephistomon and NeoDevimon are putting plans into motion. She told me that you would come, and gave me that passphrase. An old proverb said by our ancestors no less.”

“Wait, if she told you we were comin’, then why use a passphrase in the first place?” Babs Seed asked.

“Yeah, she’s beginning to sound a little paranoid,” Diamond Tiara added.

“Yes, well she has every right to be. Mephistomon has been hunting her for quite some time. There’s a reason why she only communicates to me by proxy.”

Scootaloo looked to everyone else. Was there a reason why she hadn’t spoken to them since they landed on Server?

“So, Anahita sent us here because you had something for us?” Apple Bloom asked.

Candlemon sighed. “Yes, well...I’m afraid there’s been a slight complication.”

“Figures,” Rumble rolled his eyes.

“As you just heard, one of our most valuable artifacts was stolen just yesterday,” Candlemon hopped towards his house, gesturing for everyone to follow him. “A sealed box that has been passed down from elder to elder since our village was first founded. We were to protect it, keep it hidden until the day the Chosen Children come to claim it.”

“Chosen Children?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“That’s what some Digimon call the DigiDestined,” Candlemon clarified. “Anyway, very few outside of the village knew about the treasure and even less knew that it was hidden here. But last night...members from a rival tribe came here, stormed the place and stole the box.”

Candlemon led the DigiDestined into the house, which emulated the touchdown site of a small tornado. Furniture was overturned, tapestries were torn down, and pottery was shattered. In one corner of the room, a carpet had been haphazardly thrown to the side, revealing a small empty square hole in the floor.

“They were in and out in less than a minute, which means they somehow knew where it was beforehand,” Candlemon lamented. “I don’t think they needed to destroy the place, they just wanted to prove a point.”

“Who did you say did this?” Bearmon asked. “Some rival tribe?”

“Yes, a tribe of Goblimon. We’re in the midst of a rather...uneasy truce. Needless to say, many among my people are outraged by this incident, and want to go to war against them.” Candlemon put a hand to his waxy mustache. “The thing is, I led a diplomatic envoy to the village early this morning. The Goblimon claim that they knew nothing of this attack.”

“You think they were lyin’?” Apple Bloom asked.

“I don’t know, their words seemed sincere. Regardless, I can’t risk letting too many warriors go after the raiding party. Tensions are already high enough here as it is, but if this really is the first step in a much larger assault…”

“You need our help to defend the village?” Veemon offered, cracking his knuckles. “We got experience with that.”

“I appreciate the offer, but no. I need you to help us retrieve the box. We believe they went further inland after the heist, to the west of the village. And I suspect that they may have set up camp somewhere in that direction. Maybe you can find them, or at least pick up a trail. When you find the box, bring it back here so that I can unseal it.”

“Ugh!” Sweetie Belle groaned. “Why can’t things ever be easy?”

“Because then it wouldn’t be any fun,” Scootaloo chuckled.

After hours of searching through dense forests and mountainous terrain, it was safe to say that nopony was having any fun. For Rumble, he wasn’t sure which was worse, the long unguided hike, or...

“What are we even looking for?” Diamond Tiara groaned.

“Footprints, campfire soot, anythin’ that might give us a clue,” Apple Bloom said.

“Couldn’t some of those Candlemon have helped us out though? You’d think they want to help get their so-called ‘priceless artifact’ back.”

“I reckon they’d be none too keen on helpin’ us, period.”

“Yeah I mean, what was that all about?” Scootaloo asked, sounding miffed. “Is it just me, or did they seem a little angry around Guilmon?”

“I didn’t do anything though…” Guilmon slouched. “Why are they so mean to me?”

Scootaloo sighed. “I don’t know buddy, I don’t know.”

“What did they call him?” Silver Spoon asked. “A Marked One? What is that supposed to mean?”

Sweetie Belle looked to Guilmon. “He has those black markings all over his body. And when he digivolved to Growlmon he seemed to have more of them. Maybe that has something to do with it.”

“And what’s the deal with Anahita and her whole cloak and dagger routine?” Diamond Tiara asked.

“Candlemon said that she’s afraid of Mephistomon finding her. Does this mean that she’s fought him before?”

“I’m starting to wonder how old she is,” Scootaloo thought aloud. “I mean, Candlemon said they went through a lot of trouble to keep this box a secret, and that it was passed down from elder to elder. How did she know they had it? And what the hay is even in it that’s so important?”

“Why can’t someone just give us some straight answers for once?” Babs Seed asked.

“Why can’t you all quit gabbing off and help look for clues!” Rumble growled.

Everypony jumped at Rumble’s outburst.

Rumble took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, but like you’ve said, this box is supposed to be important. And for most of the afternoon, I just keep hearing you girls going on about answers we don’t have yet. Meanwhile, we’ve been wandering around these stupid woods, and we haven’t seen anything!”

“I think I see something,” Veemon pointed up towards the treeline.

Rumble looked up and saw a very thin grey wisp trailing up into the distant sky. He flew up to the top of the treeline to get a better look, sitting down on a sturdy branch. “Is that from a campfire?” he asked himself.

“Hold on, let me take a look,” Bearmon called out. Rumble watched as he grabbed onto the tree trunk and shimmied his way up to his branch in mere moments.

“Wow, that was fast,” Rumble smiled as Bearmon made his way to him.

“Thanks,” Bearmon turned towards the thin smoke. His nostrils flared as he smelled the air. “Yeah, smells like someone’s cooking something over there.”

“Might be worth checking out…” Rumble helped Bearmon down, then led the team towards the unintended beacon.

It didn’t take long to reach the source of the smoke, an ancient crumbling ruin of a small fortress. Keeping low, the DigiDestined snuck towards the inner workings of the fort, where three small Digimon sat around a smoldering campfire. They were green with red mohawks, each one hunched over and wearing a leather vest and ragged shorts. All of them had a large club somewhere near them. Their overall appearance made the ponies draw up resemblances to the goblins they had heard about in fairy tales and bedtime stories past.

A quick analysis on Apple Bloom’s Digivice confirmed their suspicions as to the identity of the suspicious individuals.

Name: Goblimon
Level: Rookie
Attribute: Virus
Attacks:
Goblin Strike
Goblin Rush
Goburi Bomb

“What are we even doing out here?” one of the Goblimon pulled a stick of roasted meat from the fire. “We got that precious box, why don’t we take it to the chief? He’ll reward us for sure.”

“Because the chief didn’t order this!” another one growled. “If we just waltz in with proof that we went behind his back, he’ll make examples out of all of us. We have to handle this all careful-like.”

“Why can’t we just open this stupid thing!” the third Goblimon pulled out a small ornate box, covered in runes. He growled as he tried to pry it open with his claws. When that didn’t work, he tried to bite at the hinges. And finally, much to everypony’s horror, he tried to smash open the box with his club. But despite the force he put into the attacks, not a dent was made. Frustrated, he tossed the box aside and stewed by the fire.

Two more Goblimon walked in from behind a column. “Nothing on the south side,” one of them muttered before sitting down at the fire. He turned to his partner. “Hey, what’s your problem? You’ve been quiet all day.”

The Goblimon in question looked over his shoulder for a moment. “It’s about the boss,” he whispered. “Doesn’t he seem a little...off to you?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean he barely says anything, and he has that vacant look in his eyes. And ever since we got back from the raid, he’s been getting worse. I mean, he never was that bright to begin with, but it’s almost as though what little processing power he has has been slowly...” he trailed off as the rest of his companions blanched. “What?”

For a while, his only answer was the stares and shivers from his companions. But then, he heard heavy breathing and smelled something putrid.

From their hiding place, the DigiDestined watched as the offending Goblimon was smacked with a giant bone covered in spines. He was sent flying into a nearby column, where he shattered into raw data instantly.

The four remaining Goblimon stood shivering as they stared up at the giant green Digimon that annihilated their comrade without batting an eyelash. He looked like a giant green ogre with long, unkempt white hair, pointed ears, two large horns, and small spikes jutting from its shoulders. It stood breathing heavily, its mouth wide open, showing its sharp teeth and fang-like tusks. A black leather bracer adorned its right arm, red bandages were wrapped around its left arm and right leg, and several black belts around its left leg.

Sweetie Belle quietly pulled out her analyzer as the large Digimon twirled its mace, which on closer inspection, was a large femur bone with spikes on the end.

Name: Ogremon
Level: Champion
Attribute: Virus
Attacks:
Pummel Whack
Bone Cudgel
Strong Maul

“H-hey boss,” one of the Goblimon stuttered. “We got a plan for the loot?”

“We’re leaving,” Ogremon grumbled. “Bring the box.”

“Look at his eyes,” Veemon whispered.

Ogremon’s eyes were a glowing red, with dark veins spreading outward; the tell-tale mark of the Black Shadow Virus.

“So, I guess Mephistomon is behind this,” Babs Seed whispered. As the Goblimon began to smother the campfire and grab the box, she turned to everyone else. “What are we gonna do?”

Scootaloo opened her mouth to say something, but then a small gust of wind blew past them, towards the camp.

Ogremon stopped in his tracks, holding up a massive hand. “Wait...” he said. His tusks twitched as he sniffed the air. He quickly turned towards the crumbling wall the DigiDestined were hiding behind and raised his other hand, clenching it into a fist as dark energy quickly gathered around it. “PUMMEL WHACK!” he shouted as he launched the energy towards the wall.

“Incoming!” Rumble shouted, diving out of the way.

The blast made contact, shattering the wall into pieces. Although everyone managed to get out of the way, the resulting shockwave sent many of them flying back, and tumbling across the ground.

“Well well well,” one of the Goblimon picked up his club. “Looks like we got a colorful collection of eavesdroppers here.”

Babs dusted herself off, looking up at the four Goblimon approaching them. Behind the Goblimon, Ogremon pointed his mace at the DigiDestined. “Get them!” he growled.

The Goblimon charged towards the DigiDestined with a battle cry.

“I got this one,” Terriermon leaped forward, ears spread. “TERRIER TORNADO!” Terriermon spun around and around, creating a small green tornado and scattering the Goblimon squad.

One of them managed to land on his feet, off to the side of Terriermon. With a growl, he picked up his club and charged him, hoping to catch him off guard.

Guilmon, however, was not off his guard. “ROCK BREAKER!” he shouted, his claws glowing with energy. Moving with lightning speed, he reached the Goblimon attacker and smashed his club to pieces before he could reach Terriermon.

The Goblimon looked at his broken stub of a club before looking to Guilmon sheepishly. Before he could say anything though, Guilmon whipped him with his tail, sending him skipping across the ground.

As the fight began to unfold, one of the Goblimon snuck over to the box.

“Hey genius!” the Goblimon turned around in time to get punched in the face by a blue blur, knocking the box out of his hands.

“I don’t think that belongs to you,” Veemon cracked his knuckles.

Meanwhile, while Veemon had his opponent occupied, Rumble and Bearmon crept over to the box. Right when it was within arm’s reach however, a large shadow was cast over both of them. They looked up to see Ogremon lumbering towards them.

With the box gripped firmly in his paws, Bearmon rolled to the side as Ogremon’s mace came crashing into the earth. While Rumble managed to fly back, the resulting shockwave still sent him tumbling back into a pillar, bouncing off to land next to Bearmon.

Rumble shook his head clear, looking up to see most of the other Digimon occupied with the Goblimon, while Ogremon lumbered his way towards Bearmon and himself. He looked to Bearmon with a smirk.

“I think someone needs to knock this guy down a peg,” Rumble said. “What do you think Bearmon?”

Bearmon glanced at Ogremon before nodding to Rumble. “Here, hold this,” he said, dropping the box into Rumble’s hooves. He then stood up, tightened the belts on his paws, and charged.

Bearmon digivolve to…
Grizzlymon!

“Hey!” Grizzlymon taunted. “CRESCENT DAWN!” he slashed Ogremon with his massive claws, knocking him down.

But Ogremon rolled through the blow, quickly recovering and standing back up. “BONE CUDGEL!” Ogremon swung his club, only to be blocked by Grizzlymon, who was up on his hind legs.

Grizzlymon countered with another blow to Ogremon’s face, sending him stumbling backward.

Ogremon growled at Grizzlymon, taking another swing at him. Grizzlymon once again blocked this attack. However, the moment he caught the club, Ogremon quickly began gathering dark energy into his other hand. “PUMMEL WHACK!” Ogremon launched the energy from his fist, hitting Grizzlymon in the stomach and sending him sprawling onto his back.

Grizzlymon tried to pick himself up, only to be met with another Bone Cudgel attack, this time directly to his head.

Rumble watched the fight from a distance, clutching the box tightly in his forelegs. “Come on Grizzlymon, get up!” he whispered.

Meanwhile, Veemon had spent his fight dancing circles around the Goblimon. Goblimon tried to hit him with his club, which Veemon expertly dodged.

“Aw, what’s the matter?” Veemon taunted. “Getting tired?”

Goblimon growled, conjuring a fireball in his empty hand. “GOBLIN STRIKE!” Goblimon threw the fireball at Veemon.

Veemon rolled out of the way, letting the fireball sail past him. He smirked and charged at Goblimon. “VEE HEADBUTT!” His headbutt knocked him back into a pillar. When Goblimon landed back onto the ground, he made one final groan before being reduced to data, which Veemon triumphantly absorbed.

As the Digi-Core flew off, Veemon turned to the center of the ruins, where Ogremon and Grizzlymon were fighting. He watched as Grizzlymon struggled to stand up, shaken, beaten, and dazed.

“BONE CUDGEL!” Ogremon slammed Grizzlymon with his club, sending him flying into a pile of rubble. He then slammed his club into the ground, rooting it in place. “STRONG MAUL!” With a loud and terrifying war cry, he charged to Grizzlymon and pummeled him with his massive fists. After several heavy blows, he picked him up with both arms and threw him into a small tower, demolishing it.

“Grizzlymon!” Veemon cried. “Hang in there buddy, I’m comin’!”

Veemon looked around, frantically looking for something that could give some leverage against the massive Digimon. The sound of shifting rubble made Veemon look back to see Grizzlymon shamble out of the remains of the tower before collapsing. He glitched for a moment before glowing as he reverted back to Bearmon.

Oh that ain’t good! Veemon thought as Ogremon walked to Bearmon, stopping to pick up his club. Come on Veemon, think think think!

Finally, his eyes rested on something. It wasn’t much, but it was going to have to do.

Babs Seed watched the battle with the rest of the ponies. While the rest of the Digimon had their hands full fighting the Goblimon, Ogremon was twirling his club as he slowly walked to the unconscious Bearmon.

She glanced at Rumble, who was whispering under his breath while holding onto the box for dear life. “Come on Bearmon, get out of there!”

Ogremon stood over Bearmon, his open mouth etched in a maniacal grin.

Bearmon opened his eyes, too tired to move as Ogremon raised his club. Before he could deliver the final blow though, something hit him in the head. He paused, watching a large rock bounce off his shoulder before landing on the ground.

“Hey, ugly!” Ogremon turned to see Veemon with another rock, and a cocky grin on his face.

“Is that a bone you have there or are you just happy to...see…” As Ogremon marched towards Veemon, all his bravado seemed to vaporize the closer he got. Now, with Ogremon standing not three feet away from him, he could only think about how easy it would be for him to turn him into a crushed blueberry.

“I am so scared right now, I can’t even finish my stupid joke,” Veemon thought aloud, dropping the rock he had.

Ogremon snorted, then batted away Veemon like he was a gnat. He skipped across the ground, landing near the spectating ponies.

As Veemon picked himself up, Babs Seed poked her head around the corner. “What was your plan, V?”

Veemon slowly got up. Once the stars in his vision finally vanished, he was able to see Ogremon steadily making his way towards them. Just behind Ogremon, he could see Bearmon struggling to pick himself up out of the rubble.

Veemon glanced behind him, seeing Babs starting to shake as Ogremon drew closer. Next to her, Rumble starred at the struggling Bearmon. It was a bad situation overall.

Veemon smirked. He had once heard an old saying back at Primary Village: a true fighter is at their strongest when they are backed into a corner. As Babs Seed’s Digivice began to glow, and a strange power flowed through him, Veemon couldn’t think of a more appropriate phrase to describe this situation.

Veemon digivolve to…
Veedramon!

Veedramon growled, the muscles on his new arms and legs rippling. Both of his large hands sorted sharp claws. His skin now alternated between a light blue and white, with a V-shaped pattern forming on his chest. His head was now longer, and the horn on his nose had grown much larger, mimicking that of a rhinoceros, and two more horns had grown out the back of his head.

“Incredible,” Hawkmon breathed. “A Veedramon!”

Diamond Tiara looked to Hawkmon, noting that the last of the Goblimon had finally been defeated. “Yeah, what about it? Isn’t that supposed to be his Champion form?”

“So it would seem. But I heard that Veedramon could only be found on the Folder continent. I’d never thought I’d see one in combat.”

“Do you think he’ll be able to beat that big green freak?”

Hawkmon looked from Veedramon to a now smiling Babs Seed. Hawkmon looked back to Diamond Tiara with a smile. “I think it’s safe to say, Ogremon doesn’t stand a chance.”

Lowering into a fighting stance, Veedramon roared before charging Ogremon. “HAMMER PUNCH!” Veedramon flew into Ogremon, wailing on him with a series of powerful punches.

Once Ogremon was stunned, Veedramon leaped back, snorting steam out of his nostrils as he leaned his head back. “V-NOVA BLAST!” He opened his mouth, a bright blue beam of energy flying like a lance. Ogremon barely had time to look up before it struck him in the chest. He glitched for a moment before shattering into data, which flowed into Veedramon. Soon, there was nothing left but a single Digi-Core wrapped in the Black Shadow Virus, which dissipated as it flew off.

Veedramon lifted his head back with a victorious roar before reverting back to Veemon.

“That was awesome V!” Babs Seed galloped to Veemon, who was on his hands and knees, exhausted.

Veemon tried to get a word of thanks out, but could only manage short breaths and pants. So he simply turned to Babs with a smile and a thumbs up.

“Bearmon!” Rumble zoomed past Babs, rushing to Bearmon’s side. “Bearmon, are you okay buddy?”

“Ow...ow ow,” Bearmon moaned. “I’ve had better days.”

Apple Bloom trotted over to the ornate box they came here for. “Well, whaddya say we head back and see what the fuss is all about?”

Mephistomon stared at the screen before him, replaying Ogremon’s fight, which was recorded by a Gizumon perched on a tree limb overlooking the battlefield.

“Interesting,” he mused. “It seems that the latest strain slightly diminishes intelligence in the host, yet leaves their combat experience and understanding of tactics intact.”

“So, they become nothing more than emotionless, stupid puppets?”

Mephistomon turned to see a tall, slender Digimon with massive red bat wings. His long arms reached all the way down to his legs, with sharp golden claws at the end. A large golden mask covered his face, marked with six eyes and two long horns.

“That’s all I need them to be NeoDevimon,” Mephistomon turned back to the screen. “As long as they can follow orders without question, they can speak in grunts for all I care.”

“Following orders is all well and good. But can they follow orders successfully?”

Mephistomon clenched his fists. “Unfortunately, that is a matter of the subject’s competence, not the Black Shadow Virus.”

“Well, your ‘subject’ just allowed a dangerous asset to fall into the hands of our enemies! Or hooves, as it would seem.”

“Well, what do you suggest we do?”

“Can the Gizumon take them out?”

“Not as long as they’re together and with their partners.”

NeoDevimon turned away. “Then we must move quickly. If they have the Tags, then they’re going to look for the Crests next.”

“What about the lead you were chasing, some old portal?”

“Yes, I’ve found Myotismon’s old castle here on Server, but it’s mostly a pile of rubble now. One of the Gizumon did confirm that the place is abandoned though.”

“I’ll send some of my garrison to assist with the excavation.”

“Very good,” NeoDevimon nodded. “In the meantime, I have a little scheme that may interest you. Our colorful little friends are lost in a new land. Soon they’ll be looking for relics that haven’t been seen for centuries. They’ll be looking for Digimon who can help them. But instead, they’ll find themselves forced to avoid the public eye.”

Mephistomon raised an eyebrow. “I’m listening…”

As they marched back into Candlelight Village, the ponies thought they'd be given a heroes welcome, like back in Primary Village. But as they got closer to the elder Candlemon’s hut, they continued to be greeted with jaded looks and whispers.

The first and only one to greet them with a smile was the elder Candlemon. “Welcome back! I see that your mission was a success.”

Apple Bloom showed the box to the elder Candlemon. Behind her, Veemon casually stretched. “Yeah well, that’s what we do,” Veemon looked at his claws, seemingly bored. “Ain’t no biggie.”

Babs Seed jabbed Veemon. “No biggie? Your first idea to attack Ogremon was to throw a rock at him. A ROCK, Veemon! What did you think that was gonna do?”

“Hey, I had to think fast out there! And it worked, didn’t it? I got him to focus on me instead of Bearmon.”

Bearmon looked down, fiddling with his belts.

“And did you forget how I wasted him after digivolving to Veedramon?” Veemon continued.

“Veemon,” Babs sighed. “Ya can’t just go rushing into things without thinkin’. I’m glad everything worked out, but could you try to be a little more careful?”

Veemon rolled his eyes. “Fine…”

Candlemon coughed. “So...you found the Goblimon then? Were they taking the box back to their village?”

“I dunno…” Apple Bloom looked back to the box. “It sounded like they were tryin’ to impress someone.”

“Yeah,” Silver Spoon nodded. “We heard them say that their chiefs didn’t order the raid. Maybe they thought that stealing something valuable from your tribe would impress them?

“That’s a fair assessment…” Candlemon stroked his mustache.

Candlemon glanced at the onlooking villagers and motioned for the DigiDestined to come inside. “Come now, bring the box over here,” he gestured to a spot on the floor. Closing his eyes, he brought his giant match over to the flame on his head, lighting it. Muttering a prayer, he lowered the match onto the box, where several glyphs glowed on the surface. The flame swirled around the box, turning blue and green as it flowed into several hidden locks. With a series of pops and clicks, the box opened, and the flames vanished.

Inside were several small necklaces. Each one was made from a simple white string, but the golden pendants that hung from each one piqued the curiosity of the little ponies. They were almost hexagonal, save for the longer end which hung from the string. Along the two bottom edges were six notches. In the center of each pendant was a clear glass panel.

“What are these?” Diamond Tiara asked.

“These—” Candlemon reached into the box and picked up the seven necklaces. “—are Tags. These belonged to a group of DigiDestined from long ago.” He began handing them to each of the ponies.

Silver Spoon looked over the Tag in her hoof. “So...what’s so important about these things? Do they do anything?”

Candlemon hopped over to a small pile of books, digging one out and rifling through its musty pages. “Long ago, the DigiDestined used these Tags to channel the powers of seven different Crests.” He brought over the book and pointed to a page showing seven different symbols.

He began pointing to the various symbols from left to right. “These Crests represented Hope, Courage, Friendship, Knowledge, Love, Reliability, and Sincerity.”

“They sound almost like the Elements of Harmony,” Sweetie Belle observed. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo nodded.

“Oh, you mean the magic necklaces you told us about?” Terriermon asked. “The ones that shoot friendship lasers?”

Scootaloo groaned while some of the other Digimon giggled.

“So, where are the Crests?” Apple Bloom asked.

“After the DigiDestined had vanquished Apocalymon, they used them to repair the defenses of the Digital World,” Hawkmon piped in.

Candlemon smiled. “You certainly know your history.”

“I know enough to remember that the Crests were destroyed during that process,” Hawkmon crossed his arms. “They don’t exist anymore.”

“Incorrect. Artifacts with that kind of power cannot be destroyed, their power merely transforms. When the DigiDestined used them to repair the Digital World’s defenses, the Crests merely became a part of those defenses. Think of it like patching up a worn blanket.

“However, recently the stars have grown dim, the balance has shifted. I believe that Mephistomon has found a way to...reverse engineer these patches, for lack of a better term.”

“Anahita did say that they had managed to weaken the Digital World’s defenses…” Silver Spoon looked down thoughtfully.

Candlemon nodded. “Yes, and as a result of this, these seven Crests have manifested in the Digital World once again.”

“Let me guess,” Scootaloo smiled. “We need to go find these Crests?”

“What are they supposed to do though?” Diamond Tiara asked.

“Once awakened, the Crests will allow your Digimon partners to Digivolve even further, to the Ultimate stage.”

Every Digimon in the room perked up when they heard this.

“What do ya mean ‘awakened’?” Babs asked.

“All in due time,” Candlemon said, much to Babs’ annoyance. “But I wish you the best of luck in finding the Crests.”

“Um, excuse me,” Diamond Tiara put a hoof up. “It is getting pretty late, do you have someplace we could spend the night? Or do you maybe have some clues as to where the Crests are?”

Candlemon sighed. “I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I cannot offer any further aid.”

“Oh, well that’s alright,” Apple Bloom smiled. “Maybe you could tell us where we can buy some supplies. We have some money—”

“No, I mean that you’ll need to leave Candlelight Village. Now.”

A shocked silence fell over the room.

“I...I don’t understand. Did we do somethin’ wrong?”

Candlemon hopped over to an overturned armoire, trying to clean up the mess left by the Goblimon raiding party.

“It’s because of Guilmon, isn’t it?” Scootaloo scowled. Candlemon stopped dead in his tracks, prompting her to press further. “Why? Why do you all hate him so much?! He’s never left File Island before; but the moment he walks into the village, you all treat him like a criminal. Why?!”

Candlemon continued to stare at the armoire.

Scootaloo turned to Guilmon, who stared back at her with his ears drooping. “Come on, let’s get out of here,” she seethed.

“It’s the mark…”

Scootaloo stopped just a step away from the entrance. “What do you mean? What mark do you keep freaking out over?”

Candlemon sighed, hopping over to Guilmon and gently poking his chest with his staff. “This mark,” he said. “The mark of the Digital Hazard.”

Silver Spoon looked at the mark on Guilmon’s chest. After a few moments of study, her eyes slowly widened. “Of course, how did I not see it?”

“What?” Scootaloo looked from the mark to Silver Spoon.

“His mark, it looks kind of like a hazard sign. You know, the ones you see on some containers in the doctor’s office?”

Scootaloo stared at the mark, starting to see the resemblance. “Okay, so...what’s the big deal?”

“The big deal is that any Digimon who bears that mark is very dangerous,” Candlemon said. “It is said that a terrible power sleeps within them. Should that awaken, they could single-handedly bring about the destruction of the Digital World.”

Guilmon starred at Candlemon in stunned silence, feeling the gaze of everyone else in the room. “But...I don’t wanna destroy the Digital World,” he whimpered.

“Whether or not you want to has nothing to do with it. The fact is that you have a dangerous power within you. In the past, our people have sought to contain or destroy Digimon who bear this mark.” Candlemon looked to Scootaloo. “I’ve already bent the rules quite a bit, allowing your partner into our village, into my very home. But I’m afraid that I can offer no further aid.”

Scootaloo looked from Candlemon, to Guilmon and the rest of her friends. Her expression twisted between anger and sadness. Eventually, she turned back toward the door.

“Scootaloo?” Sweetie Belle reached out.

“You heard him, they want us gone,” Scootaloo spat, refusing to turn around. “So let’s just get out of their wicks already!”

Guilmon sadly followed Scootaloo as she stormed out of the village.

Apple Bloom turned to Candlemon as everyone began to leave. “Thanks for the Tags Candlemon,” she whispered before joining her friends.

Candlemon gave a sad smile. “You’re welcome. May the spirits guide you on your journey.”

Sweetie Belle gazed down at the forest below them, taking a sip of water from her canteen. After hiking through the woods, they had found a suitable spot to set up camp under a large tree on a hilltop.

“Nice view, isn’t it?” Palmon said.

“Yeah,” Sweetie Belle smiled. She turned to the campsite where Apple Bloom and Scootaloo had finished putting together the campfire.

“Alright, looks like we’re all set,” Scootaloo turned to Guilmon. “You’re up!”

“Okie dokie,” Guilmon leaned back. “PYRO—”

“Wait a minute!” Apple Bloom put a hoof up.

“What’s wrong?” Scootaloo asked.

“Nothin’, I just wanna try lightin’ it myself first.”

“Oh...okay,” Guilmon nodded glumly.

Apple Bloom took a stick, placed one end near the tinder, and began rubbing it with her hooves, making it twist back and forth quickly.

Scootaloo looked up to Guilmon. “Hey, you okay?”

“Yeah...just thinking.”

“You thinking about what happened back at the village?”

Guilmon sighed. “What if he’s right? You know how I can get when I fight. What if I lose control? What if—”

“Stop!” Scootaloo said firmly. “Stop worrying about what might happen. You said it yourself, you don’t want to destroy the world, and I know you don’t wanna hurt any of us. I trust you.”

Guilmon smiled. “Oh, Scootaloo…”

“Hurk!” Scootaloo squeaked as she was scooped up into a tight hug.

“You’re the best!”

“Yeah, thanks Guilmon. But, could you please let me breathe a little?” Scootaloo begged. Her eyes bulging out of her head.

Apple Bloom chuckled before giving another attempt at starting the fire.

On the other side of the camp, Bearmon fiddled with the belts wrapped around his paws. A tap on the shoulder jolted him out of his stupor.

“What’s wrong Bearmon?” Veemon asked.

“Nothing,” Bearmon says half-heartedly.

Veemon sighs. “I’ve known you long enough to know when somethin’s wrong, and somethin’s wrong. Now what’s wrong?!”

Bearmon avoided making eye contact. “I don’t know. I guess I’m just a little upset about my fight with Ogremon.”

“What, that big green bozo? You just got shaken up a little, that’s all. I was there to back you up, and we all got out alright.”

“Exactly, you had to step in and save me. Just like always.”

Veemon leaned back a bit. “I don’t follow…”

Bearmon shook his head. “Back in Primary Village, you always had to stick up for me. I was just a weak little...you know.”

Veemon nodded, knowing that mentioning Pagumon’s nickname for Bearmon made things...unpleasant.

“And even after I digivolved, you still had to step in and rescue me: poor helpless little Bearmon. It feels like nothing’s changed.”

Veemon stayed silent for a few moments before chuckling. “Bearmon, I think you’re forgetting something else that happened in Primary Village. Did you already forget how many Digimon you saved during the Gazimon attack? Or how you helped rescue the Digimon at Mt. Panorama, including me?

“So you got beaten down a little, it happens. You fall down, you dust yourself off and get back up.”

“Easy for you to say,” Bearmon muttered. “You were always a fighter.”

Veemon rolled his eyes, lightly smacking Bearmon upside the head. “So are you! I’ve seen how hard you can punch, you can be just as good a fighter too.”

Bearmon looked up at Veemon. “You really think so?”

“Yeah,” Veemon nodded. “In fact, how about we do some training every now and again? Do some sparing when we have a little downtime.”

Bearmon opened his mouth but was shut down by Veemon. “And no excuses this time. Like I’ve said, I’ve seen you fight. So you can’t cop out with that whole ‘I’m not a fighter like you’ schtick like when we were In-Training.”

Bearmon looked back down on his paws for a moment. “All right,” he smiled. “Yeah, I think I’ll give it a shot. When do we start?”

Veemon returned the smile as Bearmon stood up. “Well, we could start right now. But just warning you, don’t expect me to go too easy on you. You ready?”

“Yeah, I’m ready. So, how do we star—” a punch to the face sent Bearmon flying onto his back.

Veemon hissed. “I thought you said you were ready.” He shook his head with a chuckle as he helped Bearmon back up. “Let’s try that again.”

Mephistomon stood at the edge of the forest, the shadows sheltering him from the moonlight. A short distance away, he could see a mountain that harbored a small town within the cliffs. A soft orange glow emanated from the buildings.

“So...that’s Candlelight Village, eh?” Mephistomon mused. He turned towards Tsukaimon, who hovered in front of a small squad of Digimon under the influence of his Black Shadow Virus. “Stay here until the lights of the village dim. After that, meet me in the village center.”

“Yes my lord,” Tsukaimon bowed.

Mephistomon turned to the mountain, spread his wings, and took flight. Making no attempt to stay stealthy, he flew towards the village. Landing with a slide, he knocked down a couple of small buildings before coming to a stop. He stood towering over the shocked villagers, his wings spread open in a display of dominance.

“Good evening,” he smiled.

While many of the Candlemon ran to the safety of their houses in terror, Mephistomon strolled through the streets, heading to the village center. There, he found the elder Candlemon standing outside of his house.

“Demon. Whatever it is you seek, you won’t find it here,” the elder Candlemon said, remaining stoic. He banged his match staff into the stone beneath him. A moment later, several armed Candlemon warriors swarmed out from behind several buildings, surrounding Mephistomon with their cutlasses drawn. “Leave this place!”

Mephistomon glanced around, looking slightly amused. “I know,” he smiled. “I know that the DigiDestined already took my prize. And I also know that you aren’t about to tell me where they went.”

Confusion passed over the elder Candlemon’s face for a moment. “Then what are you doing here?”

Mephistomon grinned. “I’m here to paint a picture.” Mephistomon clasped his hands together as his eyes began to glow purple. “BLACK SABBATH!”

“Stop him!” the elder Candlemon commanded.

“LAVA LOOGIE!” the Candlemon shouted in unison. Small fireballs were launched from the flames atop their heads. Mephistomon batted them aside with his wings, never faltering in his concentration.

“Solpeth de bien, solpeth Iviahe teloch,” Mephistomon sang. The air began to grow cold, and the Candlemon warriors felt faint. The flames on their heads began to grow dim.

“Solpeth de bien, solpeth Iviahe teloch!” Mephistomon continued to sing, his voice echoing throughout the village. The Candlemon warriors fell to the ground, their flames extinguished before they shattered into raw data.

“Solpeth de bien, solpeth Iviahe teloch!” The entire village soon became the sight of a grim light show. Slowly the orange glow emitted by the flames of the Candlemon villagers gave way to shadows. As the shadows spread like spilled ink across a page, millions of blue shards rose into the air, swirling into Mephistomon, followed by dozens of DigiCores as they soared into the stars.

Soon, only a single, weak light remained: the elder Candlemon. He fell forward, struggling to breathe. He looked up at Mephistomon, whose expression was still that of prayer. “The extinguished torch has been lit…” he gasped. “It has been passed on to a new generation...may the light it casts...banish the shadows from the Digital World!”

Mephistomon chuckled darkly as he absorbed the data of the elder Candlemon. “You old fool. The shadows can never be truly vanquished.” He watched his DigiCore leave the cliffs. “Every light is outnumbered by the shadows they cast. As long as there is light, there will always be shadows, biding their time until the light is finally snuffed out.”

A series of footsteps snapped him out of his reflection. Tsukaimon emerged from the darkness, leading the other Digimon to Mephistomon. “So...are we ready to start?”

Mephistomon nodded. “Have fun.”

Tsukaimon beamed with excitement. Turning to the squad of Digimon, he said, “Alright everyone, let’s give this place a makeover!”

Tsukaimon led the squad to a small patch of houses, where they wasted no time in demolishing them. While they were busy doing that, Tsukaimon hovered over to another house.

“FRIENDLY FIRE!” he puffed up as he took a deep breath, then exhaled, launching a small fireball at the house. He laughed as the fire caught the thatched roof of the house. He darted over to another house, eager to start more fires.

Mephistomon turned to the house of the former elder of Candlelight Village. If NeoDevimon plays his part right, the entire continent will be scrambling to extinguish this so-called torch. For now, however…

Mephistomon raised his hand towards the house. “DARK CLOUD!” A cloud of darkness flew from his hand, enveloping the house. Everything it touched quickly decayed. In a matter of minutes, the house collapsed. Soon after, nothing would remain of it but dust.

Chapter 11: Business is Slow

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Apple Bloom looked up from her Digivice inventory, biting her lip. “Yeah, this ain’t lookin’ good,” she said. “Sounds like we got enough food to last us ‘till tomorrow morning. After that…”

All around her, everypony was looking at their Digivice inventories with worried looks on their faces. “So, what are we going to do?” Sweetie Belle asked. “We’ve been walking around for two days and it feels like we’re not getting anywhere.”

“That’s probably because we’re not,” Diamond Tiara grumbled. She looked down at the empty Tag that hung around her neck. “We’re supposed to be looking for these...Crests and those Candlemon wouldn’t even give us a direction to go looking for them.”

“I still can’t get over how they couldn’t look past Guilmon and his mark,” Scootaloo sighed. “That’s so stupid!”

“You can’t fault a Digimon whose adhering to the laws of their culture and customs,” Hawkmon pointed out. “Oh, by the way, Diamond Tiara, you dropped this,” he held up a small jewel-encrusted tiara.

Diamond Tiara frantically felt around the top of her head, confirming that Hawkmon was indeed holding her signature accessory. “What, again?!” she took the tiara from Hawkmon, inspecting it for damage. “How long—”

“It fell off a while back there,” Hawkmon gestured to the trail behind them. “I’ve been holding it for maybe an hour.”

Diamond Tiara stared at her namesake. “I didn’t even notice…”

“Isn’t that the fourth time that’s happened today? Maybe you should keep it in your Digivice,” Babs Seed suggested as Diamond Tiara placed the jewelry back on her head. “That way you won’t lose it.”

Diamond Tiara blanched. “What?! No way!”

“Why not? I mean, why do you need to wear it out here all the time?” Apple Bloom asked.

“I don’t know, why do you have to wear that big red bow of yours out here?” Diamond Tiara retorted.

Apple Bloom reached the back of her head, feeling the red bow she wore every day, even to bed. “Well...I guess you got me there,” she chuckled. “But my bow’s tied to my hair. If your tiara is just gonna fall off your head, maybe it’d be better to just—”

“Look, I hate to butt in on this little fashion discussion,” Rumble interrupted. “But do you think we can get moving? It’s getting late.”

Apple Bloom glared at Rumble before glancing at her Digivice. The clock read 5:16, the sun would be going down in a couple of hours. If they didn’t set up camp soon, they’d be fumbling through the woods in the dark.

“Fine,” Apple Bloom groaned.

Pushing back the thoughts of their dwindling rations and their exhaustion, the team pressed onwards. As they walked, Diamond Tiara would constantly put a hoof to her mane, checking to see if her tiara was still there. As they rounded a corner, they spotted a small wooden building standing proud next to the trail.

“What is this, a rest stop?” Scootaloo asked.

“I hope so, my hooves are killing me!” Silver Spoon grumbled.

“I don’t know, you tell me,” Hawkmon gestured to the sign above the door.

Scootaloo squinted at the Digicode scrawled over the sign before shooting a glare over to Hawkmon. “What is this, a pop quiz?” she asked.

Hawkmon smiled. “Come on, I know you can do it.”

Scootaloo stared at the sign as she tried to decipher the various hieroglyphs. “Sle-Sleepy...uh...,” she trailed off.

“Sleepypine?” Sweetie Belle finished.

Hawkmon nodded.

Babs Seed looked at the rest. “Trading…” her eyes snapped wide open. “Oh! Sleepypine Trading Post!”

“Nice work!” Hawkmon applauded. Babs Seed blushed, hiding behind her bangs.

“Great! Maybe we can restock on food here,” Apple Bloom said. She opened the door, a small bell ringing to announce her entry.

“Be right there!” a voice called from somewhere in the back of the store. Everyone filled into the trading post, taking in the various items displayed on the shelves. A door opened towards the back, and a tall stack of boxes waddled into the store to be set down behind the front counter. “Welcome to Sleepypine Trading Post, your one-stop for traveling supplies, gear, and oddities.”

A stepping stool was moved behind the counter, and a small bipedal turtle Digimon climbed up to peek over the counter. He wore a metal helmet which was a little too big for him, covering his eyes. Adjusting it so he could finally see, he looked up to greet his customers. “How may I—” he stopped with a small gasp, looking over the collection of ponies and Digimon. Apple Bloom gave a friendly smile, and the small shopkeeper was once again at ease. “How may I help you?” he finished with a smile.

“Well we could use some supplies, mainly some food,” Apple Bloom said.

“Ah, need some rations for your journey eh?” the Digimon smiled, hopping over the counter and walking over to a series of shelves. “I have stuff for every palette, stuff to last too. May I ask where you’re going?”

Apple Bloom rubbed the back of her head. “Well uh...we don’t really know.”

The turtle Digimon stopped for a moment, raising his helmet to show his confused expression. “You don’t know? So...what exactly are you doing out here?”

“We’re on a quest!” Scootaloo puffed up her chest. “We’re looking for the Crests.”

“Ah...treasure hunters then?” the Digimon nodded. “Well, don’t worry. You’re not the first glory seekers to come to Kamemon’s little slice of civilization. I’m sure I’ll be able to help.”

“Who’s Kamemon?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Oh, my apologies. I’m Kamemon,” he extended a claw. “Pleased to meet you.”

“Thanks,” Apple Bloom shook his claw. “I’m Apple Bloom. And these are my friends…” She went throughout the room, introducing her friends, both pony and Digimon alike.

“Where are you from? You don’t look like Digimon who live here on the continent.”

“We sailed from File Island,” Palmon said.

“Wow, you all are certainly traveling a long way from home!” Kamemon smiled.

“You have no idea,” Silver Spoon muttered.

“Well, maybe I can help you out some more. You have a map?”

“Yep,” Apple Bloom pulled up the holo-map from her Digivice.

“Hmm,” Kamemon admired the map. “Yes, this is very nice. Good topographic map; looks like it covers the whole continent too. Where did you get—” Kamemon lifted his helmet up a bit, squinting at the map. “Hold on…”

“What?” Apple Bloom asked. “What’s wrong?”

Kamemon looked closely at the map, moving it around certain parts of the region. “Ah, that’s a bit of a problem. It’s a great topographic map, but it doesn’t seem to show any towns or cities.”

Rumble looked to his Digivice, booting up his map. He zoomed it in and out, moving it all across the land they had trekked in the past two days. He was right, there were no markers indicating points of civilization anywhere.

Kamemon marched to a small shelf, pulling a folded map off. “That won’t do at all. Anyone going traveling needs to know where to rest their heads and restock.” He unfolded the map. “Now this doesn’t cover the entire Server continent, only the eastern region and a bit of the south. But I still think it could come in handy.”

Apple Bloom looked at the map Kamemon held. She compared it to the one her Digivice projected, looking over the path they trotted on. She pointed to a blip on the paper map, a small Digicode name written under it. “Is that Candlelight Village?”

“Yes, it is,” Kamemon glanced at Apple Bloom. “Have you...been there recently?”

“Yeah, just two days ago,” she looked up to Kamemon, who was staring at her with a vacant look in his eyes. “Is something wrong?”

“Oh, no,” Kamemon shook his head. “Sorry, head in the clouds for a moment. So, would you be interested in this? It’s ten bytes.”

“Sure,” Diamond Tiara answered. Apple Bloom looked back at her. “Hey, we can only sleep in the dirt so many times. It’d be nice to stop at an inn every once in a while, sleep in a real bed.”

A chorus of agreements backed her up. Apple Bloom shook her head with a chuckle. “Yeah, can’t argue with that. Silver Spoon, you still got the money?”

Silver Spoon opened up her inventory, bringing out the coin purse Elecmon gave them. “Remember, we’ve only got three hundred bytes.” She fished out a silver megabyte and gave it to Kamemon.

“Oh, a bit of a budget eh?” Kamemon nodded. “Well, let’s see if we can save you some coin. I can maybe give you all enough food to last long enough to reach the next town if you ration it carefully. Also, please don’t take this the wrong way, but do you have soap?”

Sweetie Belle looked to everypony. “Uh...no, I don’t think so.”

Kamemon bit his lip. “You might want to consider purchasing some before you leave.”

“Why do you say that?” Rumble asked.

“Well…” Bearmon rubbed his arm. “We have been traveling for a while. A good bath every now and again might not be such a bad thing.”

“Yeah, I didn’t wanna say anything. But you all kinda stink,” Terriermon piped up.

Babs Seed hesitantly lowered her nose to her elbow, taking a quick sniff. She leaned back, wrinkling her nose. She looked to Apple Bloom, who was watching the whole fiasco and quickly nodded her head. “Yeah, some soap might not be a bad idea.”

As Kamemon looked through the supplies he had, everyone looked around the shop. Many shelves displayed a variety of general merchandise, but there were some more exotic looking items on some shelves and display cases. Some looked like old artifacts from archaeological dig sites, others looked like they were taken from some mystic’s hut from a distant land.

“Ya sure got some interestin’ knick-knacks around here,” Babs Seed said, looking at a smooth, rectangular black rock in a display case. One moment it stood tall in its little glass case. Then, to Babs’ amazement, it turned to liquid. The black liquid churned in the case as if it were seeking a way out. A few moments later, it congregated back into the center where the liquid jumped up and solidified back into a smooth, rectangular rock.

“Believe it or not, I used to be an adventurer like yourselves,” Kamemon reminisced. “I would travel to the forgotten places of the continent, and bring back treasures. When I decided to open the shop, I decided to put some of the more interesting items I’d collected out on display. I figured that it may attract customers, maybe sell some of it to a collector or museum agent.”

Diamond Tiara looked around taking in the packed shelves in the otherwise quiet shop. “Do you get a lot of business out here?”

“Well...no, not a whole lot,” Kamemon sighed. “You don’t see many trading posts out in the wilderness these days, that’s why I built this shop out here. I do get plenty of travelers coming up and down the trails here, but it’s still hard running a shop like this on my own. I’ve made a few bad deals here and there, and times get tough when the roads are quiet.”

Diamond Tiara nodded. “Keeping a remote store like this in business sounds tough. Sounds like catching lightning in a bottle.”

“It does feel like that sometimes,” Kamemon nodded, turning back to show Apple Bloom and Silver Spoon some packaged foods.

“He’s got that though,” said Guilmon.

“Got what?” Scootaloo asked.

“Lightning in a bottle.”

Armadillomon chuckled. “Guilmon, no. That’s just a saying for somethin’ that’s really difficult.”

“Okay, but he still has it. Look.” Guilmon reached up to one of the shelves and pulled down a large jar. Hovering inside was a small ball of lightning. “Lightning in a bottle.”

“Whoa…” Scootaloo breathed.

“Well, that’s the last thing I expected to see today...or ever,” Diamond Tiara said.

Scootaloo touched the jar, fascinated as the lightning arced toward her hoof. It reminded her of those plasma ball lamps she saw in a toy store back in Ponyville. As she kept her hoof on the glass, her hair and fur began to stand up wildly, much to the amusement of everyone around her.

“Lemme see, lemme see!” Veemon begged. Guilmon handed him the jar.

“Um, please be careful with that!” Kamemon said.

“Where’d you get this thing?” Veemon asked. He turned the jar over in his hand, watching as the lightning arced toward his palms. He was about to hand it off to someone else when a large bolt shocked him through the glass, causing him to drop it with a yelp.

“HIT THE DECK!” Kamemon dove behind the counter.

The jar hit the ground, causing the lid to pop off. The once quiet store erupted into chaos as the ball of lightning flew from the jar, ricocheting off of whatever surface it hit.

“Gah! Lightning in the room! Lightning in the room!” Babs Seed squealed as she dodged the lighting trying to hide behind the counter.

Rumble almost made it to the counter before getting hit by the lighting.

“Rumble!” Scootaloo watched as he collapsed on the floor just a few feet away.

Bearmon scurried out of cover to drag him behind the counter.

Apple Bloom watched as the lightning flew from surface to surface, sparks flying everywhere. “We gotta do somethin’!”

Most of her friends were balled up behind the counter or behind some shelves. And Kamemon was tucked in his shell. Scootaloo peered out from behind the counter to find the open jar lying on the floor.

“I can do this,” Scootaloo said to herself. “Finally, all that buckball practice will come in handy today!” She leaped out of cover, grabbing the jar. “Alright you little livewire, playtime’s over! So get back in your jar and— hurgrrkerkerk!”

Scootaloo crumbled to the ground, the jar rolling away to rest by Veemon’s feet. “Alright, guess I have to clean up my mess!” He dashed to the jar, holding it up and at the ready. He stood tense as the lightning bounced from place to place. When it finally came for Veemon, he let the lightning fly into the jar before slamming the lid on top and screwing it shut.

Veemon panted as he stared at the jar. “Got it!” he eventually muttered. “It's all good.”

“Scootaloo!” Apple Bloom galloped over to Scootaloo. “You alright? Come on, talk to me girl!”

Scootaloo stirred for a moment, propping herself up. “Wow...that was tingly,” she chuckled before falling back. “You gotta try that.”

“Yeah, that looked like fun,” Apple Bloom deadpanned.

“You okay Rumble?” Bearmon asked, helping Rumble stand up.

“Yeah, just give me a few minutes,” Rumble groaned.

Kamemon emerged from his shell. Veemon sheepishly handed Kamemon the bottled lightning.

“Sorry about that,” Veemon muttered.

Kamemon groaned. “I’ve been meaning to have this thing glued down. I guess this is what I get for putting things off. What about your friends, will they be alright?”

“Yeah, we’ll be fine,” Rumble stumbled to his hooves. “Pegasus ponies have a kind of magical insulation in our fur. It makes us resistant against lightning and cold weather.”

“Really?” Scootaloo lifted her head up before slumping against Guilmon. “Huh...that kinda makes sense actually.”

“What really surprises me is how that crazy thing didn’t break anything,” Palmon looked around. Aside from a few scorch marks, the shop was relatively intact.

As everyone recovered from the electrifying experience, Apple Bloom and Silver Spoon finished gathering and paying for the supplies. Aside from the map, they managed to get enough food to feed the party for about four days, and some soap. They also found a small book that listed which plants, mushrooms, and fruits were edible and how to tell which ones were not. The whole tab cost them almost half of their money.

“Well, thanks for your help Mr. Kamemon,” Apple Bloom smiled. “But we really should get going, it’s gettin’ late.” Looking back to the entrance, she saw that it was getting darker outside. They’d stayed longer than she would’ve liked, and now finding a campsite would be more difficult. “Thanks again,” she said as she led everyone to the door.

“W-wait a minute,” Kamemon said. “Would you...at least like to stay for dinner?”

“Huh?” Sweetie Belle raised an eyebrow.

“As I said, sometimes the roads are quiet, not a lot of customers coming in. Honestly...it gets a little lonely out here.”

“No, we couldn’t,” Apple Bloom shook her head. “We wouldn’t wanna impose…”

“Nonsense. Besides, it’s getting late, you said so yourself.”

“I dunno…”

“Come on, it’s been a while since I’ve had company,” Kamemon pleaded.

Apple Bloom looked to her friends. She could see they all looked a little unsure, but she could also hear a few growling stomachs, one of which was her own.

“I mean...if you’re sure that it’s no problem,” Sweetie Belle shrugged with a smile.

“I’m always up for some grub,” Armadillomon piped up. “Come on Apple Bloom, it’s just for dinner.”

“Well...alright Armadillomon,” Apple Bloom relented, rubbing Armadillomon’s shell. She turned to Kamemon. “I guess we can stay for a little bit.”

“So, ya live here at the shop?” Babs Seed asked as she picked up a bowl of steaming hot noodle soup.

“Yep,” Kamemon put a baking sheet into an oven, it’s contents hidden from everyone else. “It’s not much, but it’s home.”

Babs looked around. When Kamemon closed the shop, he led everyone to a basement apartment. Inside, there was a small kitchen, a living area with several comfortable chairs and a table, and further down, a door to a bedroom could be seen. It was small but homey. After showing them around, Kamemon got to work preparing dinner. Some of the fillies wanted to help, but Kamemon insisted on handling it himself.

Now, everyone around her was enjoying bowls of noodle soup. Many of the Digimon were picking up the noodles using a pair of sticks that Kamemon called chopsticks. An odd utensil, in her opinion. But the Digimon seemed to handle them with ease, with the exceptions being Guilmon and Armadillomon, whose claws lacked the dexterity to handle them. And then, of course, there was Babs Seed herself and the rest of the ponies.

Glaring at the pair of beautifully crafted sticks, she picked them up and brought them over the bowl. The concoction of noodles, vegetables, and yellow broth emitted steam that cleared her sinuses, bringing with it so many tantalizing smells. This time, she’d be able to taste them!

Slowly she brought the chopsticks down, dipping them in the broth. Steady...steady, she squinted in concentration. Lifting up the sticks, she found a few noodles wrapped around the bottom stick. But when she tried to close the sticks together, she lost her grip on the top stick, which tumbled outside of the bowl. Determined to press on, she brought the remaining chopstick up to her mouth.

The noodles were a few inches away from her lips. Almost there! Babs thought triumphantly. Just as she was about to get her first taste of the soup, the chopstick felt lighter. Instead of tasting noodles, she could only taste the wood of the chopstick. Looking down, she watched helplessly as the noodles she had on the chopstick fell back into the bowl, causing some of the hot broth to splash and hit her freckled cheek.

A chuckle made her look across from her to see Veemon clicking his chopsticks together. “Aw, so close!” he taunted.

Babs glared at the chopstick in her hoof before looking back to Veemon with a smirk. She gently placed the chopstick next to its twin, picked up the bowl and drank straight from it. The warm, salty broth passed through her lips and onto her tongue. The other contents of the bowl, however, did not follow suit, instead falling onto her muzzle.

“Yow!” Babs yelped, quickly setting the bowl down. “Okay, that wasn’t very smart.”

Barely suppressed chuckles began spreading around the table. “Hey, Babs,” Apple Bloom chuckled.

“Hmm,” Babs turned to Apple Bloom.

“Ya got a little somthin’ here,” Apple Bloom gestured to the bridge of her nose.

Babs looked to her nose, going cross-eyed in the process. Sure enough, there was a small noodle hanging off her muzzle like a thin mustache. She moved her mouth around, wiggled her nose, anything to get the noodle into her mouth, making a show out of it in the process. Finally, she managed to catch the rogue piece of pasta, slurping it into her mouth before joining the rest of her friends in the roaring laughter.

As the last bits of laughter expired, Kamemon gave Babs Seed a fork. “Here, maybe this’ll help.”

“Thanks,” Babs took the fork as Kamemon passed around more to anyone else who needed them. She dipped it in the soup, twirling it to get a nice helping of noodles before bringing it to her mouth. The flavors of the pasta, broth, and chunks of vegetables created an explosion in her mouth. “Wowza!” she said, going for another bite. “This soup is delicious!”

“Mmmhmm,” Sweetie Belle nodded.

As everyone enjoyed the dinner, Kamemon watched quietly, eating his soup slowly. “So, you said you were looking for the Crests,” he spoke up. “You don’t mean the same ones used by the DigiDestined, do you? Why would you want to find those?”

“Yep, those are the ones,” Scootaloo finished drinking the remaining broth from her bowl. “And we’re looking for them because we’re DigiDestined!” she declared, puffing out her chest.

“Hehe...is that so?” Kamemon looked down at his bowl, gently stirring his soup.

“You wouldn’t happen to know anything about them, would you? Because honestly, we’re kind of in the dark here,” Diamond Tiara chuckled. Kamemon continued to stir his soup lost in thought. “Um, Kamemon?”

“Huh?” Kamemon looked up. “Sorry, mind was elsewhere. Um...no, I don’t know much about the Crests. I just know they were used to save the Digital World long ago, and haven’t been seen since.”

Apple Bloom put aside her empty bowl. “Are you okay Mr. Kamemon? You seem kinda nervous.”

Kamemon chuckled. “Well, I guess it’s been a while since I’ve had company. And suddenly having this many guests over...it’s a little nerve-wracking.”

Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow. “Really, is that all?”

Kamemon sighed. “Well...I guess I’m just a little worried about my shop. Truth is, this place has been going through a bit of a slump. Not a lot of Digimon traveling this way lately. It’s been hard to keep this place afloat. I spent a long time getting this place started, and now I’m worried that I might have to close it.”

“Oh…” Apple Bloom looked down, ears slumped. “I’m sorry.”

“Hey, you’re not done yet,” Sweetie Belle said. “Sure, it may be tough now. But things could get better later on.”

“I don’t know,” Diamond Tiara said. “If the store isn’t making a profit then it might be best to sell the place and move on.”

“Wow, really?” Scootaloo scowled. “Way to be a pessimist Diamond Tiara.”

“I’m not being a pessimist, I’m being realistic. My daddy said that a smart business pony knows when it’s time to pull the plug before a business goes belly up. I understand that Kamemon worked hard for this place. But if you can’t make enough money to keep the place running, then sooner or later you’ll be borrowing money to try to save it. And that’ll just lead to a bigger mess down the road if you can’t pay it back.”

Everypony mulled over Diamond Tiara’s words. Babs Seed stared into her empty bowl. Her words hurt a little, but they also made sense.

“But...he could catch a break, right?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Well, maybe,” Diamond Tiara shrugged. “I’m just saying that it’s good to look at all your options.”

Kamemon nodded. “That’s true, but still...it’s hard to let something go. Especially if you built it with your own claws.”

A bell sounded from somewhere in the kitchen, breaking the sullen mood for a moment.

“Ah, wonderful,” Kamemon got up. “Why don’t you all take a seat in the living room, I’ll bring dessert there.”

“Oh, okay,” Sweetie Belle reached for her bowl. “You want us to put these somewhere, or—”

“No no no, it’s alright. I’ll take care of that in a bit, just make yourselves comfortable.”

Babs trotted over to the living room with everyone else and sat down. Checking the clock on her Digivice, she noticed that it was getting pretty late, 7:20 PM. “Hey guys, it’s probably dark out there,” she said. “Where we gonna set up camp?”

“Hmm…” Apple Bloom bit her lip.

“I wouldn’t worry too much,” Kamemon called out. “I think there’s a few clearings where you can settle down for the night, I wouldn’t risk hiking all the way to the next town at this point. And the weather seems pretty nice, so I don’t think you need to worry about a campfire tonight.”

Apple Bloom looked like she was about to comment. But when she looked up, her mouth just hung open, and her eyes began to grow wider.

Babs couldn’t see what was distracting her, but she could definitely smell it. That smell; that sweet, heavenly aroma made her drool. There was no mistaking it, it could only belong to one thing!

In her peripheral vision, she saw Kamemon walk in and set a plate down on the table, piled with the small treats. Those golden-brown disks of dough, loaded with small brown bits of chocolate. Babs reached forward, grabbing one of them as everyone scrambled towards the plate. The moment she bit into it, feeling the chocolate melting in her mouth and sending her taste buds into a frenzy, she almost cried. Truly, nothing was better than chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven!

“Oh my gosh, these are amazing!” Sweetie Belle smiled, quickly reaching for another one.

“Kamemon, thank you so much,” Apple Bloom said before swallowing her cookie. “Ya didn’t have to do all this.”

Kamemon let his helmet fall over his eyes as he looked away. “It’s nothing…”

Babs reached for one of the last few cookies that remained, offering it to Kamemon. “Here, have some too.”

Kamemon glanced back for a moment. “I’m fine,” he mumbled with a shake of his head.

Babs Seed shrugged before taking a big bite out of the soft cookie.

“Hey, you think that we can get some of these to go?” Veemon asked.

“Come on Veemon, that’s kinda rude,” Babs said.

“What, you were thinking it too!” Veemon took another bite, smiling. “Seriously though, these cookies are so good they make my tongue numb!”

Babs giggled. “What? That’s an...interestin’ way to put it.”

“No, I’m not just sayin’ they’re good. I’m shayin’ that they’re actshually makin’ my tongue numb,” Veemon said, his words starting to slur. He looked down at his left arm, shaking it weakly. “Huh...my arm too. Thatsh weird…”

Babs Seed stared at her partner. She had gotten used to the small lisp in Veemon’s voice during their brief time together. But now, it was as if it was taking over his voice completely, almost making him sound like her older sister after she stumbled home from her high school prom last year.

“V, you alright?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. Jusht...a little…” Veemon droned before falling flat on his face, snoring like a chainsaw.

“Wow, guess he’s really tuckered out from all that hiking,” Armadillomon laughed.

“Come on Veemon, get up! If you think I’m going to carry you again, you’ve got—” Bearmon yawned. “-another thing coming.”

“Aw, don’t be so hard on him Bearmon,” Armadillomon yawned. “I’m actually kinda...really tired too. Anyone else?” Armadillomon rested his head on the cushion he was sitting on and was out like a light. All around the room, the Digimon were lulled to sleep, like some kind of spell had fallen over the room.

“Hey, what gives?” Scootaloo’s eyes darted left to right.

“I think it’s nappy time Scootaloo,” Guilmon said sleepily. Scootaloo looked up as Guilmon began to topple forward.

“No no no no!” Scootaloo quickly got up to avoid the sleepy dinosaur. But alas, she barely made it a foot before a large weight fell onto her back, pressing her into the couch they sat on. She groaned as she felt his warm breath blow across her neck, and into her mane. She looked behind her, trying to lift Guilmon’s head up. “Guilmon, get off me you big...goof…” she trailed off into a large yawn. “Actually...a nap does sound...kinda nice.” Scootaloo laid a hoof across Guilmon’s muzzle, cuddling him as she drifted off to sleep.

One by one, everypony began to fall asleep next to their partners. Some leaned on them as they fell asleep, snuggling into them like pillows. Soon, the living room displayed an adorable scene just waiting for a camera.

Babs Seed could feel her heart beating in her ribcage and the fur along her back as it stood on end. This was wrong. She couldn’t put her hoof on why, but something about this was scaring her. What’s goin’ on? she thought. It’s not THAT late, why is everyone just droppin’ like potata sacks?! I mean, ya’d think that after eatin’ that many chocolate chip cookies, they’d be bouncin’ off the—

Babs Seed slowly looked down to her shaky hoof. She stared at the half-eaten cookie, which was starting to get blurry, and the pieces began to fall into place. She looked up to Kamemon, who glanced at her from under his helmet. “You…” she growled, stumbling towards him. “Come on girl, stay awake...stay awake!” she told herself. But every step felt like somepony was filling her limbs with lead. Through sheer force of will, she managed to get within a few feet from Kamemon before tripping on a crease in the rug.

Babs glared at Kamemon through her bangs, which had fallen over her eye. He stared down at her, a sad look in his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he whispered before quickly walking away. Babs watched him walk past the kitchen and fiddle with a locked door. Her eyes stuttered shut as he vanished through the door. Though she did everything in her power to fight it, Babs Seed was quietly dragged into a dreamless sleep.

Sweetie Belle groaned as she felt something kick her leg, jarring her from her sleep.

“Psst, Sweetie Belle! Can you get up?” she heard Apple Bloom whisper.

“Not now Apple Bloom, five more minutes,” Sweetie Belle groaned.

“No seriously, CAN you get up?”

Sweetie Belle groggily opened her eyes. She looked around to see that she was still in the basement apartment along with her friends. She was comfortably tucked beneath a blanket, sleeping on a nice, comfortable chair. Next to her, Palmon was tied up. Apple Bloom was tied up next to Scootaloo, and she could smell something nice being cooked on a stove. She smiled at the possibility of a sunny-side-up for breakfast as her eyes began to drift shut again.

Sweetie Belle’s eyes shot open, her mind processing what she just saw. She looked up again to confirm that her friends were tied up. Looking around, she saw everyone tied to the places they sat in last night. Sweetie Belle tried to move, but she was met with restraint. Looking down, she wiggled the blanket off her body, revealing the ropes that bound her to the chair.

“Wha-what happened?” Sweetie Belle asked. “One minute we were all having cookies, having a good time. The next, I felt so tired all of a sudden.”

“We was drugged,” Babs Seed growled. “That sleazy turtle slipped us a mickey!”

“Powdered sleep clover extract,” Kamemon said from the kitchen. He emerged from around the corner, holding a small jar in his paws. “A very potent ingredient in sleep aids.”

“What the hay, Kamemon?!” Apple Bloom shouted. “What’s the big idea here?

Kamemon placed the jar on the countertop, picking up a folded newspaper before walking to them. “Justice,” he answered plainly. Before anyone could ask questions, Kamemon dropped the newspaper on the table.

Palmon leaned forward, skimming the article. As she read, her eyes began to grow bigger. “No…” she whispered, shaking her head. “It says that Candlelight Village was destroyed a couple of nights ago!”

“What?!” Sweetie Belle glanced down at the page. On the cover was a picture of the crumbling remains of the elder Candlemon’s house. “Who would do something like that?”

“You did,” Kamemon said, arms folded.

Everyone looked at Kamemon, shock filling their eyes. “W-what?” Apple Bloom whimpered.

Palmon began to read a portion of the article out loud. “A survivor from the horrible attack describes the culprits as small, colorful equine creatures, claiming to be DigiDestined. In the dead of night, they attacked the village with the aid of several powerful Digimon, destroying buildings and taking several sacred artifacts. Many Candlemon valiantly tried to fight the assailants but were ultimately wiped out. Today, the entire continent cries out for justice…”

Palmon shook her head. “I can’t read any more of this!”

“But it’s not true!” Scootaloo struggled against her bindings. “We didn’t destroy that village!”

“You said it yourself,” Kamemon pointed to Apple Bloom. “You were there two days ago. I had heard rumors that they held numerous ancient artifacts, including the necklaces you’re wearing. Do you mean to tell me that you knew nothing about this attack while walking into my store wearing those?”

“They gave these to us!” Apple Bloom said.

“Please, the Candlemon hardly trust anyone outside their village. You mean to tell me that you just walked into the village, and they gave you some of the most precious artifacts they had? And all of this on the same day the village just happens to be destroyed?”

“But...we didn’t—” Apple Bloom struggled to say something, but only managed to imitate a fish gasping for air on land.

“So, why go through all this trouble to capture us?” Babs Seed demanded. “If you thought we were criminals, then why let us in in the first place?”

Kamemon reached under the table and laid a series of large posters out on top. “This is why.”

Sweetie Belle looked at the table, unable to believe her eyes. Each one of the posters had a crudely drawn image of her and her friends. While she couldn’t decipher much of the Digicode, she could make a guess based on the design and the large sum of money printed on the posters. They were wanted posters. They all had a bounty on their heads!

This is insane! Sweetie Belle thought. Who would destroy Candlelight Village? Who would go through all this trouble to frame us? Who—

“Who drew these stupid things?” Diamond Tiara asked, sounding insulted. “This looks nothing like me!”

Sweetie Belle looked back at the posters. Some of them did look a little ridiculous. Diamond Tiara’s tiara looked much more menacing than it actually was, and the crazed grin drawn on her face didn’t help matters. Silver Spoon’s glasses and Apple Bloom’s bow were drawn twice their size. And Babs Seed stared at the chubby sketch on her wanted poster, her eye twitching. Under different circumstances, the drawings might have been considered funny.

“It’s like Sweetie Belle over here said last night,” Kamemon continued. “Even though my shop isn’t making the money it needs now, I could catch a break. Well, this is my break. I’m sorry, but when an opportunity presents itself, you grab it by the horns. And with this, I’ll be able to keep this shop, my life’s work, alive.” He then turned to Guilmon, who had a muzzle on top of his other bindings, with a glare. “And while I’m at it, maybe get a new armoire!” He growled, gesturing to the smoldering remains of a wooden armoire.

With that, Kamemon got up and returned to the kitchen.

“I swear when I get my hooves on him…” Babs Seed growled to herself.

“Ugh, this sucks!” Scootaloo wiggled against her ropes. “We gotta get out of here.”

“And how do you suggest we do that?” Silver Spoon asked. “These ropes are too tight, and none of our Digimon can attack. This guy thought of everything.”

Sweetie Belle looked at their partners. All of them were tied up in a way that prevented them from using their Special Attacks. Armadillomon was unable to curl up into a ball, Guilmon and Terriermon had muzzles that prevented them from firing a Pyro Sphere or Bunny Blast, Terriermon also had his ears tied up so he couldn’t use his Terrior Tornado, and everyone else had their arms and legs tied to keep them from fighting.

“Wait a minute…” Apple Bloom looked up. “I can think of one thing he didn’t account for.”

“Oh yeah, what’s that?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“You,” Apple Bloom turned to Sweetie Belle. “Ya think you can your magic to untie yourself?”

Sweetie Belle furrowed her brow. “Maybe…”

“Come on Sweetie Belle, you can do it!” Scootaloo whispered. “Just think of it like another knot tying lesson at Filly Guides.”

Sweetie Belle blushed. When they first started learning to tie more complex knots in Filly Guides, she would somehow manage to tie herself up with her own rope. Instead of improving in knot tying, she would get better at escaping her own malicious rope. Some of the other fillies in the troop had playfully given her the title of “Escape Clutz” as a result.

“Alright, I’ll try,” Sweetie Belle nodded. “Keep a lookout and let me know if Kamemon comes back.”

Apple Bloom nodded. “Will do!”

Sweetie Belle closed her eyes and focussed her magic on the ropes that held her. It was difficult to describe to her friends what it felt like to hold something with magic. When she did, she couldn’t “feel” the object in the traditional sense. She couldn’t feel the texture or temperature of it. Whenever she cast her magic on a solid object, she could feel its entire shape. When she practiced with toy blocks or cups, she could feel every edge, surface, and contour.

With her magic focussed on her ropes, she felt every curve as it wrapped around her. She focussed on how even it felt until she found one part that stood out.

There! she thought as she found a bulge in the rope. That must be the knot.

Sweetie Belle refocused her magic on the knot towards the back of her chair. She winced as her magic swirled across the surface; it felt like a tough one. Taking a moment to collect her thoughts, she focused on pulling different parts of the knot to see if it would loosen.

“Incoming!” Apple Bloom whispered.

Sweetie Belle extinguished her horn, looking up to see Kamemon carrying a small bowl of oatmeal and a pad of paper. He quietly sat at the table, eating his breakfast while writing something down, occasionally glancing at them.

A few minutes later, he had finished eating. Putting his bowl to the side, Kamemon began walking towards the stairs. He paused, looking back to the tied up ponies with a conflicted look in his eyes. Eventually, he sighed and walked back to the kitchen.

Sweetie Belle once again focussed on the knot at her back. She tugged at a part of the knot that seemed to have a bit more slack than the rest of it. Yeah, that’s it! Sweetie Belle cheered to herself. The knot had loosened, and she could feel the end of the rope hanging out of it. Her brow furrowed in concentration as she twisted the end of the rope as tight as she could, pushing it through the rest of the knot.

“He’s coming!” Palmon whispered.

Sweetie Belle looked up to see Kamemon walking in with a plate of sliced fruit.

“Here,” Kamemon placed the plate on the coffee table in front of them. “Go on, eat.”

“Uh-huh…” Veemon nodded. “And how are we gonna do that?” He wiggled in his bindings for emphasis.

Kamemon gave an exasperated sigh. Picking up the plate, he walked over to Veemon and held out a piece of fruit. “Alright fine, open your mouth.”

Veemon stared at Kamemon for a few moments before reluctantly opening his mouth. After feeding him a couple pieces of fruit, he moved on to Babs who only glared at him.

“No thanks, I’m still feeling a little nauseous from those cookies last night!” Babs Seed turned her face away with a snort.

“Yeah, what were even in those cookies?” Diamond said with a snobby tone

“They were sweet for sure but that aftertaste was just awful, I can still feel it in my mouth.” Silver Spoon remarked with a gag

“How dare you! Digimon passing through always loved my cooking, especially the deserts.” Kamemon was clearly getting agitated.

“Well either those Digimon were just humoring you or you have no taste.” That comment from Diamond seemed to impress her friends and stun Kamemon. After a moment, they launched into an utter tirade of insults and yelling.

Sweetie Belle smirked; she could see what her friends were doing. She reignited her horn once more, determined to break free this time. She wiggled a bit; it was getting easier to move. Almost there… she thought to herself. A few more tugs on the knot, and the rope fell around her.

Sweetie Belle quietly squeed to herself before gently slipping the rope off of her. As she sneaked out of her chair, she realized that her victory probably wasn’t as big she thought it was. Her original plan was to untie herself, and then her friends. But with Kamemon here, that made that impossible. She snuck over to Palmon, realizing that she had to free her before Kamemon turned around.

She grimaced as she focused her magic on Palmon’s bindings, her horn starting to ache. She wasn’t used to using her magic so frequently, and in such long bursts!

Being able to see the knot as she was working on it made things easier, but the fact that their captor was standing a few feet away certainly did not. Adrenaline coursed through Sweetie Belle, making her heart beat rapidly in her chest, and causing her to fumble with her magic.

Come on Sweetie Belle, focus! she chided herself. You’re almost out Palmon, just give me a few more—

“Hey!”

Sweetie Belle looked up to see a shocked Kamemon glancing from her to the chair she was tied to. All Sweetie Belle could do was stand there looking like she got caught with her hoof in the cookie jar.

Sweetie Belle ran to the kitchen, hearing Kamemon stumble after her. “You’re not supposed to be out, get back here!”

Kamemon chased her around the kitchen, dodging any stray foods and cooking utensils that Sweetie Belle threw at him.

“Come on Sweetie, think. There’s gotta be something you can do.” She then noticed a jar on the shelf with a clover symbol on it, smirking as she formulated a plan.

“There’s no point in hiding. I know this place like the back of my claw!” Kamemon was closing in on Sweetie’s position when she jumped out from behind the counter.

“Surprise!” She blew a dash of green powder right into Kamemon’s face.

“Why you…” He started to voice before his vision started to blur. He stumbled against the counter when he saw the open jar of sleep clover extract next to Sweetie Belle. He brought a shaky claw up to his face, staring at the powder that he brushed off. The same powder he spiked the cookies with. “Clever girl…” Kamemon muttered as collapsed on the floor.

“Nighty night,” Sweetie Belle said with a relieved smile.

“Way to go Sweetie Belle!” Scootaloo cheered.

“Give the bad guy a taste of his own medicine. Nice!” Babs Seed smirked. “Now uh...how’s about gettin’ us outta here?” Babs wriggled in her ropes.

Palmon and Sweetie Belle worked quickly to free everyone from their bindings. “So, what are we going to do about him?” Palmon gestured to the now snoring Kamemon as she untied Apple Bloom.

“We could just tie him up down here and get outta dodge,” Babs Seed suggested as she worked with Scootaloo to untie Guilmon. Or at least, that’s what they were trying to do. But Guilmon’s bindings seemed to be a lot stronger than the rope that was used to tie everyone else up.

THUD THUD THUD THUD!

A loud knocking made everyone pause and look to the staircase. Rumble looked to his Digivice. “Does Kamemon open the shop this early?” he wondered aloud.

“Who cares?” Veemon shrugged. “Just ignore him, he’ll go away.”

THUD THUD THUD THUD!

“Hey, Kamemon!” a muffled, but obnoxious voice emanated from upstairs. “Open up, rent’s due!”

“Or...maybe not.”

THUD THUD THUD THUD!

“Come on, we don’t got all day!”

“Okay Diamond, Silver and I will go upstairs to see who’s at the door. You girls stay down here and make sure Kamemon doesn’t go anywhere.” Rumble advised and everypony went to do their task.

“You sure about this?” Silver Spoon asked.

“Ah, moumantai Silver Spoon,” Terriermon commented. “We’ll just go upstairs, say Kamemon’s feeling a little ill and that the store is closed for the moment.”

Sweetie Belle watched the three ponies vanish up the steps, their Digimon partners in tow. “Hey, Palmon, Apple Bloom, think you two could help me tie up the turtle over here,” she gestured to Kamemon.

Apple Bloom approached with a rope in her mouth. “Ya came to the right filly.”

“Bring him here,” Palmon pulled up a rather uncomfortable looking chair from the back of the room.

As Sweetie Belle dragged Kamemon to the chair, she glanced over to Scootaloo, Babs Seed, and Veemon. They managed to get the muzzle off of Guilmon, but seemed to be struggling to untie him from the chair.

Scootaloo growled through the chord in her teeth. “What the hay is this, industrial cable?!”

“Can’t...breath!” Guilmon gasped.

When Rumble, Diamond Tiara, and Silver Spoon got back upstairs they looked out the window and spotted a group of small purple imp-like Digimon. They had horns on their heads, clawed feet, wore red gloves and red bandanas, and had what appeared to be a mischievous looking face on their bellies. Rumble took out his Digivice to ID the unfamiliar Digimon.

Name: Impmon
Level: Rookie
Attribute: Virus
Attacks:
Bada Boom
Infernal Funnel
Night of Blizzards

Rumble took a good look at the data. “Looks like they aren’t too much of a threat. Alright Diamond, go tell them the situation.”

“What? Why do I have to?” Diamond Tiara asked, clearly appalled.

“Well your dad is a business tycoon and this is a business negotiation.”

“Yeah, well isn’t it the stallion’s duty to protect the mare?”

“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m still a colt!”

“Enough!” Silver Spoon yelled. “If it'll make you all shut up, I'll go out there.” Diamond Tiara and Rumble starred at Silver Spoon as she marched up to the door, opening it a crack. “Hello there, what brings you here?”

“What brings us here?” One Impmon said with a scowl. “We’re here to collect the rent of a freeloading turtle. Where is he?”

“If you’re referring to Kamemon, he said he wasn’t feeling that well and he went to lie down for a while. Why don’t you come back later.”

“There is no later, either we get our money now or this place goes down with him!”

“Oh...okay. Um…” she glanced behind her. “W-would you please excuse me for a minute?” Silver Spoon closed the door with a nervous smile. “They’re pretty insistent on seeing Kamemon, anypony have any ideas?”

“Yeah, I got one,” Rumble smacked his front hooves together. “We fight them off like we do with any troublemakers!”

“Well, I guess that’s our only choice. You ready Diamond?”

“After that treatment, I am so ready to vent,” Diamond Tiara said with a smug grin.

“Alright then,” Bearmon tightened the belts on his paws. “If that’s the plan, then I guess I’ll roll out the welcome wagon!”

The DigiDestined burst through the door leaving the Impmon slightly surprised and confused.

“BEAR ROLL!” Bearmon rolled up into a ball and made bowling pins out of the group of Impmon.

They all got up and were pretty miffed “So that’s how you want to play huh? Bada Boom!” One Impmon summoned a group of small flames on his fingers and flung them at Bearmon.

“TERRIER TORNADO!” Terriermon intercepted the flames, easily extinguishing them like they were birthday candles.

“BEAK PECKER!”

“KARATE FIST!” Hawkmon and Bearmon were able to easily knock down the group of Impmon.

“Heh, guess they were all talk and no action,” Rumble smirked.

“Alright, you twerps asked for it!” One of the Impmon signaled to the other two. “NIGHT OF BLIZZARDS!” The Impmon threw their hands forward, summoning a darkness that swirled around them like a snowstorm. When the snowstorm finally cleared, the Impmon had retreated back to the treeline.

One of the Impmon pulled out a walkie-talkie. “This is Footpad One to Mother Goose, we need backup. Send in the Squawkers!” he said. Within minutes something shining appeared in the sky, and a group of four flying Digimon swooped overhead. They resembled Pterodactyls in shape and they were covered in silver armor. Their wings and tails resembled that of a jet plane and they each had a salvo of missiles tucked under their wings

“What are those things?” Silver Spoon shouted. Rumble already had his Digivice out to ID them.

Name: Pteramon
Level: Armor
Attribute: Free/Data
Attacks:
Missile Storm
Sharp Wing

“They look like tough customers,” Rumble said with a bit of worry.

“Then I guess we better step up our game. Let’s go Terriermon!” Silver Spoon held up her Digivice as it let loose its light.

“You got it!” Terriermon nodded.

Terriermon Digivolve to…
Gargomon!

“GARGO LASER!” Gargomon launched his attack, fully intent on shooting the armored fliers out of the sky. But the Pteramon simply broke their formation, splitting into two groups as they dodged his laser fire.

“MISSILE STORM!” Two of the Pteramon launched a volley of missiles from the sky. Gargomon looked surprised, quickly turning his aim to the missiles and blasting them out of the sky. Every time he tried to shoot them, they would launch more missiles, forcing him to stay on the defensive. Soon, they began attacking from multiple directions at once. He couldn’t keep this up forever.

“Diamond Tiara, we have to get in there!” Hawkmon shouted.

“Are you out of your mind? I still haven’t gotten you to digivolve, you’ll get blown to pieces!” Diamond Tiara said, concern flashing in her eyes.

“If we do nothing then that fate will befall Gargomon, and then we’ll be next. I can’t just stand here and do nothing!” Hawkmon took to the skies to try and fight the Pteramon

Diamond Tiara stood there in awe for a moment. “Even in a hopeless situation he isn’t backing down. All I’m doing is cowering here because I was always too afraid to fight.” After a moment of pondering, Diamond Tiara's expression went from concerned to determined “Well no more! If Hawkmon insists on fighting to the end then I’m with him one hundred percent!” Diamond Tiara then noticed a light to her side. It was coming from her Digivice!

Hawkmon Digivolve to…
Aquilamon!

“No way, he finally digivolved!” Diamond Tiara said in awe as her Digivice ID’d her partner’s new form.

Name: Aquilamon
Level: Champion
Attribute: Free, Data
Attacks:
Blast Rings
Grand Horn
Invisible Shot

“Go get them Aquilamon!”

“BLAST RINGS!” Aquilamon shot a stream of ring-shaped projectiles at the missiles heading straight for Gargomon. With them gone, Gargomon was able to easily land the hits he needed on the Pteramon.

“Thanks for the assist buddy, now go in for the finish!” Gargomon said with confidence

“With pleasure!” Aquilamon ascended to an even higher altitude. “GRAND HORN!” With that, he charged down on the Pteramon, igniting as he did so, and slammed into the disoriented group; defeating them all in one fell swoop. Aquilamon swept through the data emanating from their DigiCores, absorbing it as he glided down to land.

“Aquilamon!” Diamond Tiara ran up to and embraced her partner. “That was incredible. You did it!”

“No Diamond Tiara, WE did it.” Aquilamon leaned down to nuzzle Diamond Tiara. “If you hadn’t found the courage buried deep inside you I never would have been able to digivolve in the first place.”

The Impmon were shocked at what they saw. “Aw forget this, we’re out of here!” One of them shouted as they ran back into the forest.

“Hey cuz, level with me will ya?” Babs Seed stared at the crude, chubby sketch on her wanted poster. “Do...do you think I look fat?”

“What? No, of course not!” Apple Bloom said. “I mean, maybe you’re a bit...bigger than some fillies. But I wouldn’t call ya fat. Why?”

“No reason,” Babs looked away for a moment. But Apple Bloom continued to stare at her with a raised eyebrow. “There were just some jerks from school I had to put up with. Ever since I got my Cutie Mark, the whole ‘blank flank’ schtick doesn’t really work anymore. So, they had to find somethin’ else to pester me about, and well—”

“Eh, they don’t know what they’re talkin’ about,” Apple Bloom shrugged. “Just ignore them.”

“Okay, I think that’ll keep him,” Scootaloo came over to them. “What do you girls think?”

Apple Bloom and Babs Seed looked over to where Scootaloo gestured. Babs could barely contain the chuckle that left her lips. Kamemon looked like a mummy with the way he was tied up, save for his head.

“Did you have to use every piece of rope in the room?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Yes,” Scootaloo deadpanned.

“We’re back guys!” Everyone looked up in time to see Rumble, Silver Spoon, and Diamond Tiara coming down the steps to join them. Diamond Tiara looked especially cheerful as she helped Hawkmon into a seat.

The three ponies filled everyone else in on the events that transpired upstairs.

“Honestly, what was their plan?” Diamond Tiara laughed. “What kind of thief just goes up to the house and asks for their money?”

“I don’t know…” Babs Seed had a hoof to her chin. “From the way you described ‘em, they sound more like loan sharks.”

“Loan sharks? What’re those?” Scootaloo cocked her head to the side.

“It’s a kind of crook who lends money to ponies, or Digimon in this case, at really high interest rates. And if the loaner doesn’t cough up the money when it’s due, the sharks usually come down and rough ‘em up. I sometimes hear stories about that sort of thing happening in the seedier sides of Manehattan.”

Diamond Tiara looked to the trussed-up Kamemon. “Now that you mention it, they did threaten to destroy this place if he didn’t pay. You think he borrowed money from those creeps?”

“I reckon it’s high time we got some answers here,” Apple Bloom trotted over to Kamemon. “Hey, wake up!” she shook him, but only got a snore in response. She tried again, this time shaking harder.

“Come on, rise and shine sleepy jerk!” Babs Seed yelled. She got up on her hind legs and slapped him hard in the face a few times. Nothing. “Wow...that sleep clover stuff is potent.”

A shuffling from the kitchen made Babs turn around. Sweetie Belle was looking through what looked like a spice cabinet. “Aha! Here we go,” Sweetie Belle pulled a pepper shaker out.

“What do you plan on doing with that?” asked Palmon.

Sweetie Belle gave an evil chuckle as she trotted up to Kamemon. She gently shook a nice dash of pepper into her hoof, then lifted it up to Kamemon’s nose. As he snored, Kamemon inhaled the pepper.

“AHCHOO!” Kamemon sneezed. “AHCHOO...ah...ah...AHHH...CHOOO!”

Sweetie Belle was on the floor, laughing her sides off while the force of Kamemon’s sneezes sent him flying onto his back.

“Oh my gosh! Sweetie Belle, that’s...that’s just evil!” Apple Bloom laughed.

Once Kamemon finally stopped sneezing, Bearmon pulled his chair upright. “What the heck was that!? And why does my face hurt?”

“Alright, listen up!” Sweetie Belle got right up into his face. “We want answers and you’re going to give them to us. If you don’t we’ll start going through the spice cabinet and see what else we can shove up your nose!”

Babs could only gape as Sweetie Belle kept up the Bad Cop act. This couldn’t be the same gentle unicorn that she knew from Ponyville!

“Now, tell us what we want to know...please!”

Nevermind.

“Alright, fine!” Kamemon relented, snorting a few times to get any excess pepper out.

“Why did you drug us last night?” Sweetie Belle started.

“I told you, the money from the bounties would’ve kept my shop afloat for a long time. Maybe I could even expand my business in time!”

“Is that it?” Babs Seed butted in. “‘Cause some of my friends here had to chase off some Digimon upstairs who were lookin’ ta shake ya down!”

Kamemon blanched. “Impmon?”

“Aha, so you do know them!” Sweetie Belle pointed at Kamemon in a dramatic fashion.

Kamemon looked down to the floor. “You remember last night when I said I made a few bad deals? Well, those Impmon were the worst one I made.

“A few months back, my shop was a few days away from going under. I thought I could make a better profit if I could just hold out a little longer. So, I borrowed some money from some...unsavory Digimon. I’ve been on their leash ever since.

“I thought that turning you in would clear my debt, and they’d finally leave me in peace.”

“Did you really wanna capture us the way you did?” Apple Bloom asked, her tone carrying a hint of sympathy. “Ya seemed really fidgety last night. Like you were trying to decide the better of two bad choices.”

“Honestly, I was planning on how to capture you the moment I saw your faces. But...then you started shopping, looking around. You didn’t act like you were fugitives on the run, just...everyday customers. I wanted to be sure, so I invited you over for dinner. But the more you talked, the more I thought, ‘How could something so sweet possibly destroy a village?’

“But...then I would think of the money, the chance to keep my shop alive and I just—” Kamemon growled, slamming his helmet covered head into the back of the chair. “I’m sorry! I let my desperation get the best of me...again!”

Babs Seed stared at Kamemon, who looked like he was on the verge of crying. In a way, she could almost understand what was going through his head at the time.

Babs Seed watched the pumpkin float roll out of the barn, bouncing down the hill to meet its untimely demise as a pile of rubble. She only wanted to knock the front wheel out, she didn’t know it was going to make the whole float unstable! Luckily, she was able to slip back into the act while everypony was focused on that.

Her cousin and her friend turned around, pure shock etched across their faces.

“Looks like somepony’s pumpkin just got squashed!” she said with mock sympathy, earning barely stifled giggles from Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.

Apple Bloom’s face contorted in anger. “When I tell Applejack—”

“You gonna tell Applejack what?” Babs Seed got right up in her face, putting on the most threatening look she could, just like the bullies back home.

“W-well, y’know, uh…” Apple Bloom stuttered.

“What're you, a snitch?” Babs spat, putting emphasis on the word ‘snitch’. And like that, she was shut down.

“Come on, Babs, you should hang with us! Y'know, the cool ponies, not these babies!” Diamond Tiara invited.

Babs tagged along behind the two rich fillies, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle moving out of the way. ‘So, this is what it feels like to be the one callin’ the shots?’ Babs thought. She had to admit, it did feel pretty good being at a higher notch on the totem pole. The old saying held true: if you can’t beat them, join them.

Wanting to make her dominance clear, she shot one last glare towards Apple Bloom, who wilted under her gaze. She recognized that face. Babs would see that same defeated look in the mirror when she ran to the bathroom in tears after receiving a similar treatment. Seeing that face on her cousin let her know she was doing it right.

That’s when it hit her. She had bullied her own cousin! A filly who she only met less than an hour ago!

A small ball began to form in the pit of her stomach. Apple Bloom and her friends had shown her nothing but kindness the moment she stepped off the train, literally! Maybe they were a bit too enthusiastic in their welcome, and clearly unfamiliar with the words “personal space”. But they seemed like a fun bunch of fillies. And a club dedicated to helping blank flanks like her? The pitch Apple Bloom gave her needed work, but the idea sounded kind of fun.

Did being the top filly on the food chain usually feel this sour?

“Helloooo….Equestria to Babs!” Diamond Tiara said.

“Babs!” Apple Bloom shouted.

“Wuh?” Babs was shaken out of her trip down the shadier sides of memory lane.

“What’re you doin?!” Apple Bloom asked.

Babs looked in front of her, her hooves frozen on one of the knots that held Kamemon to the chair. She didn’t even remember getting up, lost in her memories. “Apple Bloom…” she sighed. “Remember the week we first met? The week of the Summer Harvest Parade?”

Apple Bloom thought about that for a few moments before her ears drooped. “Oh Babs…”

“Believe me, I know what it’s like to be so desperate to avoid somethin’ that you do something incredibly stupid.” Babs went back to tugging at the numerous knots. Soon a pair of yellow hooves joined hers. Babs’ green eyes met Apple Bloom’s orange irises.

“Ya know that we forgave you for that whole fiasco ages ago, right?” Apple Bloom smiled.

“I know. It still kinda hurts though.”

Apple Bloom ruffled Babs’ mane. “Silly filly,” she chuckled.

The remaining Crusaders soon joined them, despite grumbling from Scootaloo about how much time it took for her to get him tied up in the first place.

“I...I don’t know what to say,” Kamemon said as the last of the ropes fell off of him. “After everything, you’re not even angry?”

“Oh don’t get the wrong idea, I’m still pretty ticked,” Babs said, a chorus of agreements and grunts backed her up. “But ya didn’t really want to do it, and you clearly regretted it so there’s no point in holdin’ a grudge.”

Kamemon stood in disbelief for a long time before finally working up the nerve to say something. “Here, let me pay you back.”

“Hey now, no more cookies!” Rumble protested.

“No no, nothing like that,” Kamemon walked over to the door Babs saw him enter last night. Kamemon flipped a switch, and several old lights flickered to life to reveal a large storeroom. Several dusty shelves and boxes lined the room, overflowing with all sorts of things.

Kamemon wandered over to a safe tucked away in the corner of the room. Opening it up, he began pulling out several papers, a large duffel bag, and a jar of bytes. “You said that you chased off the Impmon, right?”

“Yeah, we sent them packing!” Rumble answered.

Kamemon shook his head. “If they run back to their bosses and tell them that I didn’t pay up, they’re going to come down here en masse. If I’m still here when they do, they won’t hesitate to delete me, steal whatever they want, and burn this place down to prove a point. But with this, hopefully I can start again someplace else.”

Kamemon gestured to the storeroom. “I have to get some things together. In the meantime, take whatever you need from my surplus.”

Everyone began to pick through the messy room, stirring up dust and Celestia knows what else.

While scanning through one of the shelves, Rumble found a large shield leaning against the corner.

“Where’d you find this?” Rumble asked.

“Oh, the shield?” Kamemon called out. “Found it in some temple ruins a few weeks back. I’ve been meaning to get it appraised, but with everything that’s happened lately...”

Rumble looked closely at the shield, admiring the elegant patterns painted on it. In the center stood a stylized sun pattern, emblazoned in orange. His eyes lingered on the sun.

“I didn’t know you were into that kind of stuff Rumble,” Bearmon came up behind him.

“Doesn’t that sun look kind of familiar?” Rumble leaned closer to the shield. “It almost looks like—”

Suddenly, the shield began to glow a brilliant orange. Rumble leaped back, shielding his eyes. “What the hay!”

“Rumble, your Tag!”

Rumble glanced down at the Tag around his neck, the patterns on it beginning to glow. Looking up, everyone watched as the shield shrunk down into a small tile. The glowing tile floated towards Rumble, sliding into his Tag with a small click.

Everyone gathered around as Rumble held the Tag in his hoof. “No way…” he breathed.

“That’s...the Crest of Courage!” Bearmon smiled, patting Rumble on the back. “You found one of the Crests!”

Rumble and Kamemon were both speechless while everyone congratulated him. “Cool!” Rumble smiled, having finally found his voice again.

Apple Bloom turned back to the mess of crates, pulling out an aluminum tin with a large clasp over the top. “Wait...I think these are mess kits!”

Scootaloo turned around. “You mean like the ones you and your sister would bring on camping trips?”

“Yeah!” Apple Bloom turned to Diamond Tiara, who was looking at her quizzingly. “Check this out.”

Apple Bloom unbuckled the metal clasp, lifting the lid off the top. The lid was shaped like a small bowl. Inside the kit was a spork and a small kettle, and inside of that was a small cup. Apple Bloom lifted the bottom part of the kit by the metal clasp, holding it like a pot handle to reveal the bottom part was also a skillet. Apple Bloom then nested all of these utensils back into the kit, closing it back up.

Babs Seed whistled. “That’s pretty cool!”

“There’s enough here for everyone.” Apple Bloom started pulling out mess kits left and right.

“I found some hammocks!” Sweetie Belle declared. Everyone turned to her with a raised eyebrow. “What? These might come in handy.”

Apple Bloom trotted over to her. Looking at the package, this clearly wasn’t the type of hammock that one would hang in their yard. The material looked similar to that used in tents. These were clearly meant for camping trips, to be set up and taken down with ease.

“You know what? I think these would be good to have on nights where it ain’t rainin’,” Apple Bloom smiled. “Good catch Sweetie Belle!”

“Scootaloo, what the hay is that?” Diamond Tiara giggled.

Apple Bloom turned to see Scootaloo adjusting a pair of aviator goggles on her head. “Goggles, seriously?”

“Yeah, why not? I found them lying around and they just kind of...called out to me.” Scootaloo finished adjusting the headgear, admiring herself in a nearby mirror.

“Really, what did they say?” Guilmon came up behind her, putting an ear to the goggles.

“You know…” Diamond Tiara came up to Scootaloo with a hoof on her chin. “It’s weird, but they actually kind of look good on you.”

Scootaloo starred at Diamond Tiara, her mouth agape. She had never heard Diamond Tiara compliment her like that before! “Wow...thank you. Here, I found them back here.”

Scootaloo led them around the corner, where several other random accessories sat on crates and on hung off whatever surface could be found.

“Wow...what a mess!” Silver Spoon said. “Ugh, you all can dig through this junk all you like. I’m going upstairs before I suffocate in all this—” She stopped, her eyes and smile growing wider. “Oh my gosh, that hat is gorgeous!” she squealed, racing past everyone to claim a cream-colored sun hat sitting on top of a coat rack.

“Hey Diamond Tiara, check out what I found,” Babs said as she held up a silver hairpin with an ornate pattern on it.

“Wow, that’s really pretty,” Diamond Tiara said. Babs hoofed over the hairpin and Diamond looked at it for a moment as if inspecting it.

“Well, what are ya waitin’ for? A formal invitation?” Babs joked.

“Y’know guys,” Diamond Tiara said garnering everypony’s attention. “These recent events made me realize that I need to grow up from the...difficult pony I’ve been. Hawkmon was only able to digivolve when I realized I needed to fight. And I want to keep being a partner worthy of him.” Then, much to everypony’s amazement, Diamond Tiara took the tiara off her head and put it in her Digivice’s inventory. Silver Spoon was especially shocked.

“Di, why are you putting away your tiara? You’ve worn that thing every day since I’ve met you!”

“I said I wanted to change didn’t I? Well, I think this is a decent start. Plus a hair clip will be way easier to keep in place,” Diamond Tiara said with a chuckle. She then moved her mane to the side somewhat and affixed the hair clip.

Rumble watched everypony pick through the bits and baubles littered throughout the corner, trying them on and striking the occasional pose. “Girls…” he rolled his eyes with a scoff.

“What’s the matter Rumble?” Bearmon asked. “Don’t you want something too?”

Rumble chuckled. “Um, no thanks. I’m a guy, I don’t play dress up.” He flew over everyone else, wanting to see if there was anything noteworthy on the adjacent shelves. As he was looking through a collection of old tools and antique lamps, he saw something just out of the corner of his eye.

“What is this thing?” he picked up the odd piece of headgear, a smile beginning to grow as he inspected it. “On second thought Bearmon, maybe I will get a little something.”

After some time, the DigiDestined stepped out of the shop wearing their new gear. Apple Bloom was wearing a green bandana around her neck, Scootaloo had a pair of blue aviator goggles on her head, and Sweetie Belle had a camera around her neck. Diamond Tiara was wearing the hairpin she found in place of her tiara, while Silver Spoon had a nice cream-colored sun hat on her head, and Babs had a bandolier wrapped around her torso. Rumble was adjusting a monocular held atop his head by a camouflage headband. Altogether, they certainly looked far more prepared for the long adventure ahead.

“I gotta say, I’m liking these new accessories,” Scootaloo smiled.

“It’s like my sister always said: ‘It’s the clothes that make the mare’,” Sweetie Belle said in an imitation of Rarity’s voice that elicited a laugh out of everypony.

“I still can’t believe that Rumble found that thing,” Babs Seed grumbled, glaring at Rumble.

Smirking, Rumble lowered the monocularto his right eye, giving him an extreme close up of Babs Seed’s face. “Oh, I think I’ve spotted a jealous little pony—” his expression wrinkled. “-who has some serious boogers up her nose!”

“Too much information dude!” Scootaloo shuddered. “And quit complaining Babs, that bandolier looks awesome on you.”

Kamemon emerged from his shop, locking the front door and hanging up a large sign that read “OUT OF BUSINESS” in Digicode. He stepped back with a sigh, taking in the sight of the Sleepypine Trading Post one last time. He hoisted a large backpack over his shoulders and turned to the DigiDestined.

“Well then, take care. Maybe I’ll see you again someday,” Kamemon said with a wave.

“You too Kamemon, stay out of trouble now,” Babs said as she waved back.

“Hey, guys!” Sweetie Belle turned around “Why don’t we take a quick picture in front of the store?”

“Yeah, let’s do it.” Silver replied, getting nods from everypony.

“And don’t worry Scoots, you’ll definitely be smiling in this one,” Apple Bloom joked.

“Oh hardy har har,” Scootaloo said with far less enthusiasm. The DigiDestined grouped together and posed for the picture. Some struck an adventurous pose, others simply smiled as Sweetie Belle levitated the camera in front of them.

“Can I get a ‘Hooah’?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“HOOAH!” everyone cheered as Sweetie Belle snapped the picture. When they were finished, they set out down the road, ready to continue their quest to save the Digital World.

Chapter 12:Thorns and Roses

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Mephistomon stared at the crumbling ruins of a dark, imposing fortress. The fortress originally belonged to an ambitious Digimon, who once sought to conquer the Human World. The King of Undead Digimon, Myotismon. Now, centuries later, the castle was but a shadow of its former self. A memorial to his failure.

Mephistomon growled to himself. The very notion that a bunch of children managed to best a Digimon as powerful as Myotismon sickened him to no end. Shaking his head clear, he marched into the castle, passing by many Digimon infected by his Black Shadow Virus. Several Bakemon were overseeing their activity, directing them in the excavation effort.

“My lord!” Mephistomon looked up to see Tsukaimon hovering down to him, wearing a yellow construction hat. “I have some good news for you sir, we’ve finally managed to uncover the chamber where the gate is housed.”

Mephistomon glanced at Tsukaimon. “And the status of the gate?”

“Mostly intact.”

“Mostly?”

Tsukaimon blanched. “W-well, this castle is hundreds of years old my lord. There’s bound to be some structural damage. But the Soulmon have been studying it, and have determined that it does still hold true to its original function.”

“Show me!”

“Yes sir,” Tsukaimon bowed, leading Mephistomon deeper into the ruins. After passing through a veritable labyrinth of dark and musty smelling corridors, they descended down a long staircase. At the bottom was a large chamber with a large steel door standing tall in the center.

“That is one big door, huh?” Tsukaimon whistled.

Mephistomon ignored him, gliding towards the steel door. One of the Bakemon hovered up to Mephistomon with a clipboard. “My lord,” he bowed. “Based on our current analysis, the portal required a set of keys at some point.” He hovered over to a small pedestal a few yards away from the gate. A three by three grid was engraved into the pedestal. “We believe that where the portal would connect to depended on a certain sequence in which the keys were placed.”

“And the keys themselves, what were they?”

“Judging from the size of the grid, I’d say they were about the size of trading cards.”

Mephistomon raised an eyebrow. “Trading cards?”

“As odd as it sounds...yes. We did manage to recover a couple of them during our investigation of the chamber but…” Soulmon brought out a small plastic bag. Inside was a card containing an image of a Gomamon, but the image was very faded, and the card looked ready to disintegrate if someone so much as blew on it. “The years have not been kind to them.”

“I see,” Mephistomon turned back towards the gate. “Well, a skilled thief doesn’t need a key to open a locked door. He would use...alternative means to gain access.”

“He’d need some pretty big lockpicks to get through this thing,” Tsukaimon muttered.

“Quite right Lord Mephistomon. We are searching for remnants of the remaining cards as we speak. Perhaps we could restore them, or reach out to our contacts in the black market to see if they’ve heard anything. If not, we can look into alternative means of using the gate, as you so wisely put it my lord.”

“We can look into alternative means of using the gate, as you so wisely put it my lord,” Tsukaimon condescendingly imitated. “That’s you, that’s what you sound like.”

“Tsukaimon…” Mephistomon growled.

“Y-yes sir, shutting up now.”

Mephistomon gazed at the door. True to Tsukaimon’s word, the gate reflected the state of the surrounding ruins, albeit it had fared better in comparison to some of the more weathered sections of the castle. Whether that was owed to the material the gate was built from, the fact that it was buried so far underground, or to some obscure magic, Mephistomon couldn’t say for certain.

What he could say for certain is that the gate was still very much active. It still served as a connection to the Quantum Sea.

“I’ll be right back, do mind my body while I’m gone.” Mephistomon knelt on the ground, closed his eyes and focused. He held his breath for a moment as he felt his astral form leaving his physical body.

He hovered towards the massive gate. Passing through the steel door, he entered a vast space of swirling energy and data.

The Quantum Sea, Mephistomon thought. The interweaving void that connects our world with hundreds of others.

Drifting through the tumultuous sea of raw data and energy, he followed a specific path towards his destination. After passing by several spheres showing windows into various other worlds, he finally arrived before the window to the world he sought.

The Human World! Mephistomon grinned. The shimmering orb in front of him showed images so distorted that he couldn’t make heads or tails of what he was seeing. But he could feel the malice, greed, the taste for power and violence, and the naive notion of hope and prosperity. All the characteristics that the humans possessed.

He reached out towards the portal. He knew that even he wasn’t strong enough to pierce the defenses that confined the Digimon to the Digital World, and manifest himself in the Human World. But he would be able to take a peek in his astral form for a few moments.

As his fingers began to phase through the portal, he let out a blood-curdling scream. It felt like someone had taken a hot fire poker and drove it into his hand. He yanked his ethereal hand back, which was oozing a dark purple smoke as it regenerated itself. With a cautionary growl, he slowly reached towards the portal with his other hand, only to receive a painful shock.

What is this? Mephistomon’s thoughts began to spin. The Digital World’s defenses? No. Me and NeoDevimon were able to weaken them. And even if they were at full strength, I should at least be able to pass through in my astral form!

Mephistomon stared at the portal, watching it swirl with various shades of grey, making it look like a ball of cloudy water. I doubt that humans would be able to make something this strong. The only other explanation would be—

He slowly looked back at the other worlds he passed by. Each portal showed a shimmering image of their perspective worlds. The images were slightly distorted, like looking into a pool of water, but certain objects and patterns could be discerned. Looking back to the portal to the Human World, he noticed how the surrounding space looked darker, how the portal seemed to be at a slightly further distance than the others. Even the portal itself looked wrong. The others seemed to shine to reflect their world’s brilliance, but this one seemed to be like a candle in the back of a lamp shop, unable to keep up with the brightness of even the weakest of lamps.

No…

Mephistomon clenched his ethereal fists as he realized that the unthinkable had happened.

No… he thought with a growl.

He began to register a faint numbing sensation at his legs. Looking down, he saw parts of his body starting to break down into raw data. Cursing himself for spending too much time in the Quantum Sea, he willed himself back into his corporeal body.

His eyes snapped open as he found himself back in Myotismon’s castle, staring at the large metal gate once again.

“My lord, you’re back!” Tsukaimon cheered. “So, what’s it like? Have the humans invented flying cars yet? Oh, or maybe they’re finally in the middle of World War 3? Although it has been a long time; maybe it’s the fourth World War? Did they colonize that red planet yet?”

“No...no no no!” Mephistomon growled, his breathing getting heavier and heavier, his hands churning with a vast amount of dark magic.

“M-my lord? What’s wrong?” Tsukaimon hovered back, eyeballing the closest exit.

Mephistomon leaned his head back. “GRRRR AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!” he roared as he let loose his magic in all of it’s fury.

Sweetie Belle was certainly in high spirits today. As the DigiDestined wandered down a dirt road, everypony noticed a slight spring in her step. Her optimism was certainly contagious since nopony could resist smiling along with her.

“Wow, somepony woke up on the right side of the bed this morning,” Scootaloo chuckled.

“What are you talking about Scootaloo?” Guilmon asked. “We all woke up tied to chairs this morning, remember? Can you wake up on the right side of the bed when you’re tied to a chair?”

“Figure of speech Guilmon,” Scootaloo shook her head. “Figure of speech.”

“Well, yeah this morning did have a...rough start,” Sweetie Belle admitted. “But everything worked out alright afterward, right?”

“Darn right!” Rumble puffed out his chest. “We managed to find one of the Crests!” He gestured proudly to the Crest of Courage in his Tag.

“Not to mention these new duds,” Babs Seed said as she put some water purification tablets in one her bandolier pouches. While she mainly choose the accessory because it looked cool, Apple Bloom was quick to suggest a use for its three small pouches. When they stopped for a break, Babs looked through her Digivice inventory for small items that she could need at a moment’s notice. Along with the water tablets, she stowed away some bandages, matches and a few crackers.

“Yeah, Kamemon wasn’t a bad guy,” Apple Bloom said. “He was just between a rock and a hard place. I hope everything works out for him.”

“He’ll be fine, I’m sure,” Sweetie Belle said. “And as long as we stick together, I know we can conquer any challenge ahead of us.”

“Well, here’s a challenge,” Diamond Tiara said. “Anypony have any idea on what we’re supposed to do with these Crests?”

Rumble glanced down at the Crest of Courage. “Didn’t Anahita say something about them making our Digimon digivolve further? How’s that supposed to work? Is there a button on this thing or something?” Rumble inspected every nook and cranny of the Tag but found nothing. “Ugh, is it really so hard to write an instruction manual for these things?”

Everyone pondered over the Crests for a few minutes. A few theories were tossed around regarding how to use them. But even Hawkmon couldn’t say for certain how the Crests were used, or how they were supposed to allow Digimon to digivolve to the Ultimate stage. The matter was soon dropped in lieu of a more present regard.

“So Armadillomon, you said you had a poem to share?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Yeah, it was something I came up with yesterday at breakfast with Terriermon,” Armadillomon nodded to Terriermon, who seemed to be trying to hide a smile. “I wanted to share it but didn’t have the chance. What with that whole Kamemon fiasco this morning.”

“Oh, well let’s hear it then.”

Armadillomon cleared his throat and began reciting his poem:

“I dig.

He digs.

She digs.

We dig.

They dig.

Everyone digs.”

“So what did you think?" Armadillomon asked with a smile. Everyone else in the group looked at him with neutral expressions. Somewhere in the woods, a cricket could be heard chirping.

“Yeah, ah was never good at poetry but ah don’t think that really qualifies as a poem,” Apple Bloom said.

“Yeah, it may not sound like the greatest poem. But as a whole, you gotta admit it’s pretty deep.” Armadillomon’s comment was met with silence, followed by a period of groans, barely suppressed chuckles, and a collection of facehooves and facepalms. “Everybody's a critic,” Armadillomon chuckled.

Not too long after that, the group came upon a small town at the end of the road.

“Hey check it out. Why don’t we all take a little break at that town up ahead?” Scootaloo suggested.

“Sounds like a good idea. I’m still not really used to the whole ‘long journey’ thing yet," Diamond Tiara said humorously.

They made it to the entrance of the town and were a bit surprised to see a Palmon there to greet them.

“Hello there travelers. Welcome to Rosetown. What brings you out here?" the Palmon asked.

Sweetie Belle’s partner Palmon stepped up. “We’re just some travelers passing through, looking for a place to stay the night.”

“Oh, well it’s a good thing I bumped into you. My family and I run a beautiful inn, just a few blocks down the road here. Follow me.”

As the DigiDestined entered the town they were amazed at the kind of buildings they saw. Grass huts, bamboo huts and even a couple of trees made into buildings. It seemed like every building in Rosetown was made of plant life.

“Wow, just look at this town. It’s so… different than what we’re used to," Silver Spoon pointed out with stars in her eyes. “I mean, buildings made out of stone and metal are one thing, but all these buildings are made out plants. It’s so cool!”

“Oh great, not again,” Diamond Tiara said begrudgingly.

“Again?" Babs questioned.

“Sometimes when Silver Spoon sees something new and different she goes into ‘Nerd out mode’ and has to learn absolutely everything about how it works." As if proving her point, Silver Spoon was chatting with a couple of Palmon, asking questions about how the buildings came to be.

“I don’t remember seeing her like this before,” Apple Bloom said. “Not even durin’ school field trips.”

“Yeah, it used to be something she’d do when she’s by herself or with me,” Diamond Tiara rubbed the back of her head. “It’s kind of embarrassing for her. But sometimes—” she looked to the grey and silver streak gawking at the village with a dry chuckle. “—she just can’t help herself.”

“She reminds me of Twilight Sparkle," Sweetie Belle said with some concern.

“She’ll be at it for a while, we might as well just check in on her later.”

They soon arrived at the inn, which was a large hollowed-out tree. The Cutie Mark Crusaders couldn’t help but compare it to the old Golden Oak Library from Ponyville. Unlike the library, however, this tree was much larger, with large spheres with windows protruding from various limbs. A Palmon sat behind a counter near the entrance.

“Welcome to The Royal Garden,” she greeted with a smile. “Are you looking to stay the night?”

“That would be nice, thank you,” Sweetie Belle graciously replied.

“Okay then, that’ll be fifteen bytes per room. There appear to be six pairs of you…”

“Actually, there are seven pairs, one of us is out in the town," Sweetie Belle interrupted.

“Okay seven, so that’ll be one hundred and five bytes total.”

Apple Bloom took out her Digivice and retrieved the money to pay for the rooms. Everyone went to their respective rooms to find each was outfitted with a bed and mattress made of soft leaves sewn together with vines, and a neatly sewn grass patterned blanket.

After resting for a bit, Sweetie Belle left with Palmon to check out the town. Out of the gate they were enamored by the beautiful flower garden outside the inn. Colorful flowers giving off such a luscious scent, making the garden pleasing to both see and smell. Sweetie Belle was taking pictures of the town when she spotted a Digimon that looked like a walking flower. She took out her Digivice to ID it.

Name: Floramon
Level: Rookie
Attribute: Data
Attacks:
Rain of Pollen
Poison Ivy

“Wow, she looks like she came right out of a garden,” Sweetie Belle smiled.

“Yeah, she looks like a weed pulled fresh from the soil,” Palmon muttered.

The Floramon stopped, turning her head slightly towards Palmon with a look of disgust. “Ugh, this coming from the little jungle creeper.”

“Please, if you lived where I did, you wouldn’t last two days! Seriously, those bright colors of yours would make it easy to find you for miles.”

“Oh well, at least my colors let me be cute! Those greens and purples are so sickly looking it’s a wonder why anyone would want to be around you.”

“Why you little!” Palmon was about to charge at the Floramon but Sweetie Belle restrained her.

“Calm down Palmon, violence won’t solve anything,” Sweetie Belle pleaded as Palmon squirmed in her hooves.

“You’d better listen to the squeaky white thing little weed,” Floramon taunted.

“Wait, what was that?” Sweetie Belle glared at Floramon.

“You might wanna keep that weed on a leash, and maybe trim that petaled mess on its head that it calls hair. I would say something about yours, but frankly, it looks like a Biyomon made a nest out of it, and tried to add some pink and purple dye to make it look better.”

Sweetie Belle glanced towards Palmon, whose glare seemed to have intensified. “Alright, have fun,” she remarked, putting her hooves up.

Apple Bloom gazed at the gardens around the back of the inn, which were even more grandiose than the flower beds out front. Walls of lattice allowed vines adorned with beautiful flowers to weave walls around the visitors. Towards the center, a few tables were set up to allow guests to dine outside among the myriad of colors and smells.

“This place is amazin’!” Apple Bloom smiled. “This place must be pretty popular.”

“We make sure our guests enjoy their stay here,” said an elderly voice behind her. Everyone turned to see another Palmon slowly walk in with the help of a cane. This one was much older than the Palmon that greeted them. Her leafy skin emitted a crinkling sound and seemed to be more amber than green. This elder Palmon reminded Apple Bloom of trees during the Fall.

“Well, I’d know I would love to eat out here,” Diamond Tiara said.

Bearmon stood at one of the tables snacking on a small plate of rice cakes coated in honey. “Yeah, no kidding!” he piped up, happily pigging out on the sweet gooey squares.

Looking around the garden, Diamond Tiara began to notice something. “Wait, why aren’t there any lights out here? It’d be pretty nice to come out here on a clear night.”

The elder Palmon chuckled. “Too much light would be bad for the plants. And we don’t want to risk leaving lanterns lit out here.”

“Yeah, I can only imagine how that might end,” Veemon commented wryly.

“Although…” the elder Palmon began. “Forgive me for presuming, but perhaps you could help us make a little addition to our lovely gardens here? We’d even pay you for your troubles.”

Apple Bloom looked to the others in the garden. Applejack always taught her the importance of helping others. The incentive for a little extra money certainly didn’t hurt either. “Sure thing ma’am. We’ll go get the rest of our friends, and maybe we can talk about it.”

“Splendid! I think I saw one of them out front, and I caught a glimpse of the one with glasses running around town for a moment.” The elder Palmon led them out of the gardens and back through the inn.

“So, what kind of flower were you looking for anyway?” Scootaloo asked.

“Patience little one, I’ll explain everything in a moment. But it’s a flower that our family has been looking for for quite some time. It may prove difficult for you.”

“Perhaps,” Hawkmon shrugged, holding open the front door for the elder Palmon. “But these little ones may surprise you. And besides, they’re accompanied by some strong, and disciplined Digimon.”

“I’LL END YOU, YOU LITTLE DANDELION!”

Hawkmon’s eyes widened as he saw the scene unfolding in front of the inn. Palmon and Floramon were grappling with each other as they tried to pin the other to the ground. Eventually, Floramon managed to push Palmon off of her and throwing her arms forward.

“RAIN OF POLLEN!” Floramon shouted. Small clouds of pollen began to flow from her arms to envelop Palmon. “Aww, what’s the matter?” she taunted as Palmon collapsed on her knees. “Where’d all that big talk go?”

“Right here!” Palmon thrust her hands into the soil, sending her vines to tangle Floramon’s feet from underground. “ROOT BREAKER!”

Floramon winced as she began to feel weaker. Looking down, she could see Palmon’s tendrils draining something out of her, making her clouds of pollen grow weaker by the second. “That’s a dirty trick! POISON IVY!” Floramon launched vines from her arms in a manner similar to Palmon’s signature attack, wrapping around Palmon. “Get over here!” she shouted, yanking Palmon over to her.

As their scuffle continued, Apple Bloom turned to Sweetie Belle sitting on the sidelines. “Don’t let her pin you Palmon!”

“Sweetie Belle, what in tarnation is happenin’?!” Apple Bloom asked.

“Well from the looks of things, Palmon is winning.” Sweetie Belle turned back to the fight. “Whoo! You go girl!”

“Sweep the leg!” Veemon cheered.

“V, what the hay?!” Babs Seed asked.

“What?” Veemon shrugged. “This is awesome.”

Babs Seed rolled her eyes as she and Scootaloo marched towards the fight, which had been reduced to the two blindly slapping each other with their heads turned away and their eyes shut. “Alright come on, break it up, break it up!”

With yak-like finesse, the two fillies managed to pry the two Digimon apart. “You know what?” Floramon asked. “I’ve got better things to do than wipe the floor with you. Smell you later jungle creeper.”

It took Scootaloo, Babs Seed, and Guilmon to hold Palmon back as Floramon sauntered away.

“Did you have to stop it B? I had five bytes on Palmon,” Veemon whined.

“Um, Palmon are you okay?” Guilmon wrinkled his nose a little.

It took Apple Bloom a moment to smell the reason why everyone restraining Palmon looked a little nauseated.

“Palmon, I think your ‘stink bomb’ defense is acting up,” Sweetie Belle said through her plugged nose. “Can you turn it down a little?”

Palmon took a few deep breaths, the flower on her head opening and closing with her breath. Soon the stink vanished and was replaced by a more pleasant smell similar to a garden mist. “Sorry about that,” Palmon rubbed her arm. “I didn’t mean for that to get so crazy.”

“Wow, is this the inn?” Everyone turned to see Silver Spoon and Terriermon walk up to the front. “This garden is beautiful!” Her smile quickly faded after seeing the scuffs on Palmon, and the concerned looks on everyone else.

“What? What did we miss?” Terriermon asked.

“Care to fill us in on the details Sweetie Belle?” Apple Bloom gave the unicorn in question a flat look.

“Ugh,” Sweetie Belle sighed. “It’s...something stupid, I’ll tell you later.”

Rumble coughed. “So, you said you wanted our help with something?” he asked the elder Palmon.

The elder Palmon relaxed her grip on her cane. “Yes, as she pointed out—” she gestured towards Diamond Tiara. “—our garden could use some lighting for the night hours. But we’re worried about how electrical lights will interfere with the plants, and leaving lanterns out could risk burning our prized gardens.

“Though I could imagine some Digimon itching for that to happen!” she grumbled. “Anyway, I’d like to show you something,” she gestured for them to follow. She led them back inside the inn, to what seemed to be an office. Pulling a book from a shelf, she flipped the pages until she came across a detailed image of a beautiful flower white flower. The picture showed one flower closed up in the shape of a bell during the day, while another picture showed the same flower open during the night. What’s more, it seemed to show it giving off an aura of light.

Apple Bloom quickly read the large Digicode at the top of the section: The Night Flower.

Sounds about right, Apple Bloom thought with a chuckle.

“As you’ve probably guessed, this flower blooms only at night, while shining with a light similar to that of the moon.” The elder Palmon passed the book around. “A flower like that would be a wonderful addition to our garden. And if it attracts more customers to our inn, then even better,” she chuckled.

“Wait, if it glows in the night, wouldn’t that make it pretty easy to spot?” Rumble asked.

“You’d think so. But we’ve been looking for this particular flower for quite some time, even risking multiple trips into the territory of nocturnal Digimon. But so far, the closest thing we’ve found are white tulips!”

“Are you sure it’s even here?” Palmon asked.

“Oh, trust me youngin’, it’s here somewhere. I may be old, but this wireframe can still feel when growing conditions are good!”

“Okay…” Scootaloo looked to Guilmon, who only shrugged in return.

“Anyway, if you can bring back a nice bundle of those Night Flowers, I’ll pay ya for the trouble.”

“Thanks, we could use the money,” Apple Bloom said.

“Wait, what do you mean?” Silver Spoon looked worried. “How much did the rooms cost? How much money do we have left?”

“Well, the rooms cost us a hundred and five so…”

Silver Spoon looked down, her mouth moving as she did the math. “So we only have forty-five bytes left?!”

“Um...yeah?” Apple Bloom stepped back.

Silver Spoon took a deep breath. “Come on everyone,” she said through clenched teeth. “We’ve got some flowers to pick.”

The DigiDestined were given several special bags to safely carry the flowers back to the inn, as well as the necessary tools to carefully dig up the flowers without damaging them. They were then directed to a large acre of woods where the elder Palmon believed that the Night Flower was located. The elder Palmon explained that while they were unable to find it there at first, the conditions were more favorable for the Night Flower there than in any other part of the surrounding forest.

Nopony fully understood what these conditions were even after they were explained. Despite this, they still agreed to try their best as another of the inn-dwelling Palmon led them to the acre before returning to town to resume her duties.

As they began to comb the area, Sweetie Belle brought everyone else up to speed on the fight that happened earlier.

“Well, I won’t say that Floramon is in the clear here, but it sounds like Palmon kinda started it,” Babs Seed pointed out.

“What? Wouldn’t you say something if someone compared a sunflower to a dandelion?” Palmon huffed.

“Palmon, what’s wrong?” Sweetie Belle asked. “You’re normally so nice and calm. That Floramon probably would’ve walked past us without saying anything. Why the sudden attitude?”

Palmon grumbled under her breath and stomped ahead of Sweetie Belle.

“I...may have an explanation, actually.” Sweetie Belle turned to Hawkmon, who was walking beside her with Diamond Tiara. “You see Palmon and Floramon are natural rivals. In the wild, Palmon and Floramon will establish their territory as far away from each other as possible. They can barely stand being in the same room with each other without butting heads.”

“Sound like cats and dogs,” Diamond Tiara observed.

“I suppose so,” Hawkmon nodded.

“Okay, so why are there Floramon and Palmon in the same town?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Well, when Terriermon and I were checking out the town, we found a flower shop run by some Floramon,” Silver Spoon said. “We were checking out their display when they suddenly got agitated at a Palmon passing by. The two were glaring daggers at each other until she left.”

“Well, that’s gotta be awkward. Havin’ a business rivalry like that,” Babs Seed shook her head. “Think it’s possible for them to move on from that?”

“Maybe if one of them leaves town,” Terriermon piped in. Silver Spoon nodded.

The search continued for several minutes until everyone met up near a large tree for a lunch break.

“Anyone find anything?” Sweetie Belle asked, only to get a series of groans and murmurs in return. “So, nothing then?”

“Nada,” Diamond Tiara sighed, taking a bite of fruit. “I’m starting to think that old Palmon may be a little delusional. I mean, we’ve been out here for a while and haven’t found squat!”

“Yeah,” Rumble nodded. “She went on and on about her having a hunch that it was here. Is that all we’re going off of, a hunch?”

“It’s not just a ‘hunch’ guys!” Palmon growled.

“Palmon!” Sweetie Belle said. “Calm down girl, we’re all friends here.”

Palmon sighed. “Sorry, everyone. I guess that little run-in with Floramon put me in a bit of a mood.”

“A ‘bit’ of a mood?” Terriermon muttered.

“Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that we Palmon are experts when it comes to finding and identifying certain flora. We can sense where plants will grow most fertile, whether the soil is good or bad, or if the plants are toxic. It’s an instinct that helps us find and establish territory. But given enough time, it can be honed to help find certain plants if you know the specific properties that help them grow.”

“And yet the old beet is sitting in a rocking chair back at her inn, with no Night Flower.” Palmon and Sweetie Belle grimaced upon hearing that voice. Their expressions only turning sourer as Floramon waltzed in, wearing a satchel.

“Don’t tell me you’re looking for the Night Flower too,” Palmon groaned.

“Well well, maybe you’re not as dumb as you look,” Floramon jabbed. “And for your information, me and my sisters stand a better chance of finding it because unlike the weeds at that inn, I’ve actually seen one before.”

“You’ve found one of those flowers out here?” Apple Bloom asked skeptically.

“Well...not exactly. I was visiting a friend out of town, and she had one in her kitchen. But we Floramon can track any plant based on the pollen that it gives off. We don’t need to know whether or not the soil has a cough or...whatever. All we need is to know the pollen.”

“If you’re so good at finding these things, then how come you don’t have it either?” Palmon asked.

“Y-you don’t know that!”

“Silver Spoon, did you see any Night Flowers at their little flower shop?” Palmon glanced back.

“Uh...no I don’t think so,” Silver Spoon shook her head.

“O-of course you wouldn’t! We uh...probably have them growing in the back.”

Palmon leaned over to Sweetie Belle. “I think I smell a flower who’s a little full of herself.”

“What was that you little stinkweed?!” Floramon shouted.

“Oh no, are they going to start fighting again?” Scootaloo sighed.

“I said you’re full of it petal sniffer!” Palmon got up into Floramon’s face.

“They’re fighting again,” Guilmon’s ears dropped.

“Can it, radish head!” Floramon shot back.

“Make me fertilizer breath!” Palmon retaliated.

“Jungle creeper!”

“Garden weed!”

“Grass mat!”

“Plastic petals!”

“WILL YOU TWO JUST KISS ALREADY?!” Terriermon screamed.

Everyone slowly turned to Terriermon. “Can’t you see you’re in love with each other?” Terriermon continued. “Please, for all of our sakes, just drop this nonsense and tell each other how you really feel!”

After a long period of awkward silence, Silver Spoon spoke what was on everyone’s minds. “What...are you talking about?”

“I dunno,” Terriermon shrugged. “I was just trying to get them to stop screaming at each other.”

“Right…” Floramon said. “And with that, I’m out of here.” As she turned away, a low rumble made her stop dead in her tracks.

Everyone stood up, frozen in place as the rumbling steadily grew louder. “Guilmon, please tell me that was your stomach,” Scootaloo begged.

“That was my stomach,” Guilmon lied.

“Really?” Scootaloo said, half believing him. But then a crack began to form beneath her hooves.

“N-no,” Guilmon stuttered.

Sweetie Belle slowly glanced down at the ground as a spider web of cracks formed beneath her and her friends. “Uh oh…” she whispered before the ground fell apart right from under everyone. Her stomach lurched as she tumbled down into the darkness. The wind whistled past her ears, competing with the screams of her friends as they fell with her.

After a few moments, they landed not on the cold, hard ground but on a bunch of large, bouncy leaves. They bounced several feet back into the air a couple times before coming to a stop on the soft, springy service.

“Is...is everyone alright?” Sweetie Belle called out.

Diamond Tiara reached up to her hair, feeling around for something. “Where is it?” she asked as she looked around in a panic. “Hey, has anypony seen my—” she started. She then opened her Digivice inventory, scrolling through her belongings until she found her tiara. “Oh...right,” she chuckled. “It’s fine, I’m alright.”

“Yep, I think we’re alright,” Apple Bloom called back. “Luckily we landed on somethin’ soft.”

Scootaloo bounced on the leaf she landed on a couple of times. “Hehe, cool! It’s like a bounce house.”

“Hahaha, whoo!” Guilmon cheered as he bounced on a leaf near Scootaloo, creating an impromptu contest on who could bounce higher.

“Will you two knock it off?” Silver Spoon scolded. “In case you forgot, we’re kind of in the middle of a situation here.”

Everyone stared up at the massive hole they fell down. “So, any ideas?” Floramon asked.

“Palmon, you think you can reach up there with your vines?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“No, it’s too high up,” Palmon shook her head.

Apple Bloom turned to Diamond Tiara. “Hey Diamond Tiara, is Aquilamon an option? Ya think he can help us out?”

Diamond Tiara looked from her Digivice to Hawkmon, who shook his head sadly. “Sorry dear, but I used a lot of energy this morning when I was fighting the Pteramon.”

“Drat!” Apple Bloom cursed. “Well...does anypony else have any ideas? ‘Cause I doubt we can bounce our way to the top here.”

“Well, what about over there?” Guilmon pointed to a cavern overhead. “That doesn’t look too high.”

Scootaloo looked from the ground to the ledge Guilmon pointed to. “Yeah, you’re right Guilmon. Nice catch!”

“And how do you suggest we get up there?” Silver Spoon asked.

Scootaloo smirked. “Watch and learn.” She stepped back a few yards from the cavern entrance before taking her mark. “Time for a little Leapfrog!” She charged forward a few feet before jumping. She bounced once, twice, three times, gaining altitude with each jump. On the third, she soared high into the air, spreading her tiny wings for a moment, before landing gracefully on the cavern’s outcropping. She turned back to her audience, bowing at the cheers she received from her friends.

“Let me try, let me try!” Guilmon ran over to Scootaloo’s starting point. He repeated Scootaloo’s technique, even spreading his arms like wings on the third launch, before crashing onto the outcropping. “How’d I do?” he groaned as he lay there on his belly.

Scootaloo, who had just barely managed to dodge Guilmon’s “landing”, brushed his head with a soft chuckle. “You did good boy, you did good.”

“Alrighty then,” said Terriermon. “Everyone over here! Let’s make like an Italian plumber and jump on outta here!”

“Uh...a what plumber?” Apple Bloom asked. Unfortunately, Terriermon was already on the move.

“Letsa go!” Terriermon bounced up to the cavern overlook with ease, leaving the confused fillies and colt to puzzle over the obscure reference.

One by one, the DigiDestined joined Scootaloo up on the ledge. There were a couple of mishaps and a few misses. And then there was Silver Spoon, the last one still in the pit of moon bounce leaves.

“Come on Sil, you can do it!” Diamond Tiara cheered.

“Will she make it this time fillies and gentlecolts?” Rumble asked. “Or will she turn the number seven into an unlucky number?”

“Quiet you!” Diamond Tiara whipped him in the face with her tail.

“Okay Silver Spoon, you can do this!” Silver Spoon whispered to herself. “If they can do it, you can too.” She pawed the leaf she stood on, took a deep breath, and let out a ferocious battle cry as she charged. She jumped once, twice, three times. To Silver Spoon, time seemed to slow down as she soared through the air, inching closer and closer to the ledge. The thrill of being airborne, however, was soon drowned out by terror and frustration when she realized that she had undershot her jump...again.

Diamond Tiara reached out to try and catch her friend, but could only watch as Silver Spoon face planted into the ledge just inches out of her reach.

Everyone winced as Silver Spoon fell back down into the leaves.

“Ow…” Terriermon reached up to his cheek. “Did anyone else feel that?”

“Oh...and with a brutal wipeout, that makes seven,” Rumble said. “Fillies and gentlecolts, do I hear eight, or will she go to—” Whatever announcement he was going to make was lost due to a not-so-gentle jab by Bearmon. “Ow…alright alright, I’m done.”

“Ya’ll okay Silver Spoon?” Apple Bloom called out.

Silver Spoon groaned. “What does it look like?”

Terriermon shook his head before jumping back down to Silver Spoon. “Hey, are you hurt?”

Silver Spoon picked herself up. “How’s my face? Am I bleeding?” she panted.

“Mmm...nope you’re good.”

Silver Spoon nodded, adjusting her glasses. “Then so far, my pride’s the only casualty.”

“Hey, moumentai,” Terriermon smiled. “You were so close that time.”

“Yeah, well ‘close’ only counts in horseshoes and firecrackers.” Silver Spoon looked up to the ledge, and the concerned ponies staring back down at her. “I don’t think I can make it.”

Terriermon glanced up to the ledge. “Do you think you have enough in you for one more jump?”

“I can’t reach the ledge, Terriermon!”

“I didn’t ask if you could reach the ledge, I asked if you had enough for one more try.”

Silver Spoon looked from the ledge to her smiling partner. “I...guess. Doubt it’ll make much difference.” She stood up on shaky legs as she made her way back to the starting point, her friends cheering her on. As she prepared herself for her next attempt, and possible screw up, she felt Terriermon climb onto her back. “Um...Terriermon, what are you doing?”

Terriermon straddled Silver Spoon’s back, grabbing onto the back of her neck. “Jump as high as you can, and then hold on to me.”

“What? Why? What are you planning?” Silver Spoon glanced back to her passenger as he tightened his grip.

“Trust me,” Terriermon winked.

Silver Spoon shook her head as she took her mark. She ran, jumped three times with all the remaining strength she had. The second she went airborne, she braced herself for the inevitable crash. A sharp tugging at the back of her neck made her yelp. She grabbed onto Terriermon, about to pry him off before he tore a piece of fur out. But something felt off, she should’ve started falling by now, but it looked like she was moving at the same level as the height of her jump.

When she glanced down at the ground, it was impossible to hold in her shriek. She was flying! “Sweet mother of Celestia and Luna!” she screamed. She glanced up to see Terriermon holding his ears out like a hang-glider. Everyone made way as Silver Spoon glided past them, shrieking all the way until she and Terriermon tumbled onto the outcropping.

“That was awesome!” Scootaloo jumped. “Did you see that?”

“No Scootaloo, we missed it,” Sweetie Belle deadpanned. “Silver Spoon are you okay?”

Silver Spoon put a hoof to her chest, her breaths coming in quick gasps.

“Come on Silver, you’re okay,” Terriermon brought Silver Spoon’s sunhat, which had fallen off during their landing.

“That...that was insane!” Silver Spoon gasped.

“Maybe,” Terriermon shrugged. “But we got up here, didn’t we? So come on, moumantai.”

Silver Spoon gave a soft chuckle as she put her sunhat back on. “Thanks, Terriermon,” she smiled, giving him a soft pat on the head.

“So, now what?” Floramon asked.

“Well, I reckon there’s only one way we can go from here,” Apple Bloom gestured towards the cavern.

Switching on their Digivice lights, the reluctant spelunkers ventured into the cave. After several minutes of silence, Sweetie Belle trotted up to Floramon. “So...what’s the deal with you and Palmon? I mean, were you always at each other’s throats?”

“Hmph,” Floramon snorted. “The Palmon are just jealous of us because we’re prettier than them, always have been.”

Sweetie Belle paused. “Is that it? You pick fights with each other because you think you’re prettier than the Palmon?”

“O-of course not! It’s not just looks. Palmon are nothing compared to Floramon in a fight!”

“Not from what I was seeing,” Veemon smirked.

“Hey, I only lost because...uh...the sun was in my eyes. Yeah, that’s it…” Floramon shifted.

“I thought Scootaloo, Babs and I broke up the fight,” Guilmon pointed out.

“Yeah, but if you didn’t I would have turned the jungle creeper into mulch,” Floramon smiled.

“But, didn’t you just say that you lost that fight?” Guilmon asked.

Floramon blanched. “No, I...I didn’t, I mean...shut up!”

Sweetie Belle shook her head with a chuckle. “Seriously though, did you even try to get to know them?”

Floramon stopped. “Why would I waste time doing that?”

Sweetie Belle shrugged. “Because you might find out they’re not so bad? Or that you two aren’t that different? I mean, you’re here looking for the same rare flower as the Palmon for the sake of your businesses.”

“But...there’s still so much that’s different between us.”

“So? Look at us,” Babs Seed gestured to everyone. “Do we all look like we share everything in common with each otha?”

Floramon looked to the collection of ponies and Digimon walking with her. “You all do seem pretty close. I don’t think I’ve seen so many different kinds of Digimon traveling together before. And I’ve never even met...creatures like you before. I mean you all look a little different, but are you really all that different?”

“First of all, we’re called ponies. And second...” Babs Seed smiled. “You have no idea how different we all are.”

Floramon couldn’t help but smile at how close everyone seemed to be. She turned back to Palmon. “So, how did you end up with this...colorful group of travelers?”

Palmon glanced at Floramon, surprised at her gentle tone. “Well...we actually met on File Island. You see I was just in the jungle, minding my own business. When all of a sudden—”

“Stop!” Floramon said firmly.

Palmon fumed. “If you’re just going to interrupt me like that, then why bother asking in the first—”

“No, I mean hold up for a second,” Floramon held an arm up.

“What’s going on?” Rumble asked. “What’s the hold up back there?”

Floramon didn’t answer. Instead, she closed her eyes and spread her arms out slightly. Various petals on her arms and neck seemed to sway as if some breeze was blowing against her. After a few moments, her eyes snapped open. “Can it be?” she whispered to herself.

“What is it? What was that?” Palmon asked. But Floramon ran ahead, brushing past everyone else. “Where are you going?”

Everyone followed Floramon as she navigated the various twists and forks in the cave, almost as if she had been down here before. Eventually, she stopped at a dead-end, pressing up against a tiny crack in the cave wall.

“It’s here,” she whispered excitedly. “The Night Flower’s here!”

“What? Are you sure?” Palmon asked.

“Positive!”

Apple Bloom trotted up to the wall, putting her face up to the crack. “I think I can feel a breeze comin’ through here. This might be a way out!”

Armadillomon walked up beside Apple Bloom, inspecting the crack. “Yeah, I think I can see some grass out there...maybe? I dunno, it’s so dark.” He prodded the crack with his claws, digging some small pieces out. “Ugh, this is a pretty solid wall. I don’t know if I can dig through this.”

“You need some help?” Guilmon asked, holding his large claws up as they began to glow with energy.

“Knock it down boy!” Scootaloo patted Guilmon’s side.

“ROCK BREAKER!” Guilmon charged at the wall, punching it with massive force. It didn’t completely destroy the wall, but it did weaken it a bit. Guilmon and Armadillomon quickly worked together to dig. Guilmon would smash the wall with his Rock Breaker attack, allowing Armadillomon to quickly dig through what was left. A couple of minutes later, the two had dug a small tunnel through the wall.

“Hey! Y'all gotta see this!” Armadillomon called through the hole.

Everyone crawled through the hole. When they saw what was on the other side, everyone found it difficult to hold their jaws in place.

“Whoa…” Apple Bloom breathed.

Before them was a massive chamber housing a beautiful grove. Trees dotted the small landscape, blanketed by tall grass, while fireflies lit the air. Towards the center, a massive tree stood tall, stretching to the ceiling, where a small hole let in rays of sunlight.

“This is incredible!” Rumble said. “Anypony ever seen anything like this before?”

“Never…” Sweetie Belle shook her head. She took this opportunity to take a picture of the majestic scene before her. “Hey, look over there!” Sweetie Belle pointed along the ground. Several patches of Night Flowers lit the cave, illuminating the landscape.

Floramon bent down to one of the flowers, gently cradling it. “After all this time...I finally found you.” She looked back to everyone at the entrance. “Well? Are you going to pick some too?”

“Oh, right!” Sweetie Belle put aside her camera. Opening her Digivice inventory, she brought out several of the bags that the elder Palmon gave them. Behind her, Apple Bloom brought out a few garden trowels and began passing them out. “Let’s get to work!”

On the edges of the grove, a pair of orange eyes watched them with glee. “Excellent, dinner came falling right into my coilsssss.”

The ponies and Digimon began to carefully pick some of the flowers, making sure to leave the roots undamaged and to fill the bags with some of the soil.

“How do you suppose these little guys managed to grow up down here?” Apple Bloom wondered. “I see how they would get a bit of sunlight, but how do they get water down here?”

Palmon dug her vines into the ground for a moment. “Wow...the deep layers of the soil are actually really moist.” She looked up, noting the shape of the ceiling, and the tell-tale marks of erosion from the water flow. “I guess whenever it rains, some of the water seeps down here, and the soil soaks up as much as it can. Maybe since there’s only so much sunlight, only a small portion of it would get evaporated.”

“Hmm…” Silver Spoon ran her hoof through the tall grass, which felt a little wet. “And I’d imagine only a small part of the evaporated water actually makes it out of here. The rest remains trapped in the cave.”

“Which means that this place would probably have a nice supply of moisture for the plants to grow down here,” Apple Bloom finished.

“Huh, how’d you know all about that Silver Spoon?” Scootaloo asked as she placed another flower in a bag. “I can kind of understand how Apple Bloom would know a little about plants growing, but when did you learn about this?”

Silver Spoon gave Scootaloo a flat look. “We learned about this in school last semester, remember?”

“Uh…maybe?” Scootaloo grinned sheepishly.

“Well, at least now we know why this place is so cool and damp,” Diamond Tiara shivered.

“Oh, quit yer belly achin’. Just keep movin’, that’ll keep ya warm,” Apple Bloom shook her head. “Hey Armadillomon, could you pass me another bag please?” But Armadillomon was staring out into the grass, ears up and his head on a swivel. “What’s wrong?”

“I thought I saw somethin’ move out there…” Armadillomon said.

“Eh, probably just the wind,” Rumble shrugged.

“Uh...a wind coming from where exactly?” Bearmon whispered. “We’re in a cave.”

Everyone stopped what they were doing, and got up. All the cheer and mirth that was in the air moments ago had vanished, replaced by a fear of anything that moved in the darkness.

“Does anyone see anything?” Terriermon whispered, his ears scanning for the tiniest noise.

Every little noise and movement put the group on edge. A tiny movement in the grass here, a slight slithering noise there, every time seeming to come from a different place. Almost as if a ghost was circling them.

Soon though, the noises seemed to stop for a couple of minutes. “I-is it gone?” Sweetie Belle whimpered.

Babs Seed gave a sigh of relief. “I think so. Just what the hay was that all abo—”

“LOOK OUT!” Veemon tackled Babs Seed just as a gaping maw of fangs surged from the brush. It raced past Babs and Veemon, a long white body trailing behind it as it circled around the group. Everyone’s breath was caught in their throat as a giant white cobra rose from the grass. Its hood and belly were lined with a purple skin that almost looked like armor, with a segment of green at its throat resembling a chest plate.

“W-what...is that?” Diamond Tiara shivered behind Hawkmon.

“A problem. A really big one.” Babs Seed shakily brought up her foreleg, switching on her Digivice’s analyzer.

Name: Sandiramon
Level: Ultimate
Attribute: Virus
Attacks:
Venom Axe
Treasure Lance

“Hello there little morssssselsss. Sssso nice of you to join me for dinner,” Sandiramon hissed, his forked tongue flickering out.

“Uh, right,” Apple Bloom laughed nervously. “That’s m-mighty kind of ya to invite us, but we really oughta be goin’. So if'n ya don’t mind, we’ll just be uh…”

Sandiramon lunged for Apple Bloom as fast as a lightning bolt.

“RAIN OF POLLEN!” Floramon launched a heavy cloud of pollen directly at his face. “Run for it!”

Everyone dashed towards the hole they came in through while Sandiramon shook his head clear.

“VENOM AXE!” Sandiramon shouted, spraying a large spew of poison at a set of stalactites above them. The poison quickly dissolved their bases, sending them crashing in front of the hole and trapping them in the grove. “Leaving sssso ssssoon?”

“BUNNY BLAST!” Terriermon launched a ball of green energy at Sandiramon.

“PYRO SPHERE!” Guilmon launched a series of fireballs at Sandiramon. But the combined attacks didn’t seem to phase the giant snake.

“Okay, we need a new plan of attack, and we need it now!” Diamond Tiara said.

Rumble stepped forward. “I have a plan." He held up his Digivice at it started to glow. “Attack!”

Babs Seed blew a lock of hair out of her face with a smirk. “I can get behind that!” She held up her own Digivice.

“Don’t leave me out!" Sweetie Belle joined them as well.

Bearmon Digivolve to…
Grizzlymon!

Veemon Digivolve to…
Veedramon!

Palmon Digivolve to…
Togemon!

“Well, thisssss issss an interessssting development,” Sandiramon said. “But it makes no difference.”

“We’ll show you a difference! CUTTING SHOT!” Veedramon let loose multiple wind blades but Sandiramon used its sleek body shape to easily dodge it. The blades ended up slicing a few branches off the giant tree.

“Be careful not to damage the tree!” Floramon called out.

“Sssssilence you whelp!" Sandiramon lunged towards Floramon, his mouth wide open.

Floramon closed her eyes and braced herself for the inevitable. But after a moment she opened them and was astounded to see that Togemon took the blow. “You…but why?”

“You and I aren’t so different. We both have the same goal: to make others happy," Togemon explained. “Your sisters and the family of Palmon who run The Royal Garden; you both bring that happiness through sharing beautiful flowers.”

“B-but...you’re not a part of that family,” Floramon said. “What do you know about making others happy?”

“Oh, I know enough to help a poor little pony, lost and crying in the jungle. I knew enough to make her smile.” Togemon glanced at Sweetie Belle.

“I see…” Floramon smiled.

Sandiramon finally managed to release his grip, shaking his head in pain. Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle ran up to her partner. “Are you alright Togemon?”

“I’m fine, it’ll take a lot more than that to pierce me.”

“But what should we do?" Grizzlymon said. “He can easily maneuver around our attacks and we can’t risk harming this grove since the Night Flowers only seem to grow here.”

Rumble took a good look at Sandiramon and had an epiphany. “I got it! Guys, aim at his neck! Let’s break that armor!”

Everyone nodded and got ready to fight again. Sandiramon was clearly annoyed from having his snack replaced by a giant cactus. “Alright, no more ssscrewing around!” He straightened his body. “TREASURE LANCE!” Sandiramon’s throat began to bulge. He opened his mouth as a long halberd began to emerge, coated with venom.

“Ewww,” Diamond Tiara shivered. “Gross!”

With a final cough, Sandiramon launched the halberd into the air and expertly caught it in his tail. He twirled it around a few times before aiming it at Veedramon. “Ready or not, here I come!” he charged with a hiss.

Veedramon bided his time and when Sandiramon was close enough he attacked. “HAMMER PUNCH!" His attack connected right on the armor on Sandiramon and knocked it back. “Got him!”

“You’ll pay for that!” Sandiramon began slashing with his halberd, keeping Veedramon from launching another attack. After, blocking a few jabs, Veedramon was knocked off balance. Seizing the opportunity, Sandiramon slashed at his legs, knocking him on his back. Just as he began to lunge for his neck, the halberd was knocked aside by Grizzlymon.

“My turn!” Grizzlymon parried Sandiramon’s halberd until he saw an opening. “CRESCENT DAWN!” He slashed at the giant snake’s neck.

“And one more!" Togemon reared up for her attack. “COCONUT PUNCH!” Togemon knocked Sandiramon to the ground.

Sandiramon slithered back to an upright position. “Isssss that the besssst you can manage." The sound of something cracking filled the air. Sandiramon looked down on his armor plating to see a steadily growing fracture. “Impossssible!" The armor soon shattered, revealing the soft scales underneath.

“We got him, now let’s finish this!" Rumble declared.

“HAMMER PUNCH!" Veedramon quickly closed the distance and went in for another attack but Sandiramon dodged with a smirk.

In the blink of an eye though, Togemon was already ready to attack. “This is for trying to hurt my friends! LIGHTSPEED JABBING!” Almost faster than the eye could see, Togemon delivered punch after punch to Sandiramon’s exposed weak point. She delivered a fierce uppercut and Sandiramon went down. His body dissolved and the Digicore flew out through the hole in the top of the cave.

“And that’s the end of that!” Togemon flexed her arms before reverting to Palmon.

“Awesome work guys!” Rumble slapped Bearmon on the shoulder. He gave a soft chuckle and a thumbs up in return.

“I guess I got more than just a few bruises sparing with Veemon the past couple nights,” Bearmon panted.

“Told ya!” Veemon laughed.

“Hey, it looks like the flowers survived that whole fiasco,” Armadillomon walked over to the sacks that were abandoned during Sandiramon’s ambush. “What’re the odds of that?”

“Hey, don’t look a gift horse in the mouth,” Apple Bloom chuckled. “Let’s see if we can’t get a few more.”

“There’s a big patch by the tree over there,” Armadillomon gestured to the large tree at the heart of the grove.

Everyone wandered over to the tree, working carefully to gather up as many Night Flowers as they could carry. As they ran out of empty flower bags, Floramon drifted over to Palmon.

“Hey, thanks saving me back there,” Floramon said with a sheepish smile. "I guess you're not so bad after all."

“Maybe it’s high time we move past this stupid rivalry and start over. As friends." Palmon held out her hand which Floramon graciously accepted.

As everyone watched the two Digimon makeup, a spot on the large tree’s body began to glow a bright cyan. A shape began to emerge, appearing to be a circle with curved points on the left and right side and a split circle in the middle. The light then emerged and condensed into a small tag that flew into the Tag on Babs Seed’s neck.

“Whoa,” Babs Seed breathed. “This is…”

“That’s the Crest of Friendship," Veemon smiled, clapping Babs on the back. “Who would have guessed we would find it in a place like this?”

“Actually..." Babs said as she looked towards Palmon and Floramon bonding. “I don’t find it that hard ta believe.”

“All right, we have plenty of Night Flowers, and we found another Crest. Just one problem: how do we get out of here?" Scootaloo asked with a hint of worry.

Guilmon started sniffing the air. “Hey, I smell something.”

“What is it?”

“I think I smell it too!" Bearmon said, following the scent to a few bushes towards the back of the grove. Tucked away behind them was the entrance to a small tunnel. “It smells like the scent Rosetown was giving off. Come on everyone, this way!”

Quickly packing up the flowers and tools, the group followed Guilmon and Bearmon into the tunnel. By the time they got back to the surface, the sun was beginning to set.

“Yikes,” Terriermon muttered. “Guess we were down there for a while, huh?”

“Oh dear…” Floramon muttered. “My sisters are probably worried sick about me. I was supposed to be gone for an hour. By now they’re probably—”

“Floramon!” a voice called out. “Sis, where are you?”

“Speak of the Devimon…” Floramon muttered.

Three more Floramon emerged from the treeline, rushing to their sister. “There you are!” One of them grasped her in a massive hug. “Where have you been? We’ve been worried sick!”

“Are you alright?” another one asked.

“I’m fine girls, really,” Floramon replied. “Better than fine actually. Look what we found.” She took one of the bags off her shoulder and opened it.

“Is that…” one of the Floramon trailed off.

“Indeed it is,” Floramon replied, chuckling at her sisters' reaction to the flower. “And if you think that’s crazy, then you might wanna sit down when you hear who helped me.”

“Who, them?” one of the sisters gestured to the DigiDestined. “Wait, is that a Palmon back there?”

Floramon looked back to Palmon with a smile. One of her sisters looked from Floramon to Palmon in disbelief. “No...there is no way!”

“Why don’t we all head back to town, and I’ll tell you all about it over some juice?” Floramon started walking into the woods.

“Um, sis?” one of Floramon’s sisters pointed toward another end of the woods. “Home is this way…”

“Oh...right,” Floramon blushed. “Uh...how about you lead the way?”

Everyone followed Floramon and her sisters as they made their way back to Rosetown.

“Well, I don’t know about y'all, but after a day like that, I’m about ready to hit the hay,” Apple Bloom yawned.

“I hear ya cuz’,” Babs Seed stretched her neck a bit, hearing some cracks.

“Yeah, a day of looking for rare flowers and being attacked by a giant snake with an attitude does take it out of a pony," Scootaloo remarked. “Kinda works up an appetite too…”

“I know how that feels,” Guilmon replied, provoking more than a few chuckles.

“A nice meal, warm beds, and finding a Crest on top of all that,” Diamond Tiara looked over to Babs Seed, who glanced down at her Tag with pride. “I’d call that a pretty good day.”

Mephistomon stood in the chamber of the gateway, what was left of it, taking haggard breaths as the dust settled. In his rage he had destroyed a great deal of the surrounding chamber, nearly bringing it on the verge of collapse. Many of the infected Digimon in the chamber were killed in the maelstrom, the force sending their DigiCores flying through the walls. But by some subliminal level of restraint or luck, the gate was spared Mephistomon’s wrath.

Seeing the gate in front of him made him clench his fists. All our planning, all our efforts...was it all for nothing?!

“So...are you done throwing a hissy fit?” a voice asked from behind him.

Without hesitation, Mephistomon turned around and unleashed a blast of dark magic behind him, only to hit the wall. Mephistomon growled as he felt an icy presence behind him. He glanced over his shoulder in time to see NeoDevimon rise from the shadows, his long arms crossed over him like a mummy.

“If you’re going to try to kill me, then you could at least put some more effort into it,” NeoDevimon said in his smooth, icy voice. He looked around the chamber, running his claws over the new damage. “Tsk tsk tsk. I never knew you could be so volatile Mephistomon. You know, there are some who say that catharsis is actually bad for you.”

“Shut up you skinny-armed yarn-spinner!” Mephistomon growled.

NeoDevimon stopped, digging his claw into the wall and slowly dragging it down. “I’m sorry, I must be hard at hearing,” he looked over his shoulder. “Would you care to repeat that?”

“You said that we would be able to rebuild this world,” Mephistomon continued. “You said the humans possessed the means to level mountains, envelope continents in flames. That the tools spawned from their destructive ingenuity would give us the power we need to smash the Digital World. All we needed was an army, and the means to get to the Human World.”

“I said that the Human World would give us the means to reshape this world,” NeoDevimon corrected. “To shift the tyrannical so-called “balance of power” that keeps Digimon like us from exercising our nature.”

“What’s the difference?” Mephistomon grunted. “In order to bring about change, true change, the old system must be weeded out. The corrupt balance of power is too deeply ingrained into the Digital World to simply reshape it. It must be destroyed to make way for a new world.”

NeoDevimon shook his head. “Such narrow-minded thinking.”

Mephistomon turned to the gate. “All this effort, all these resources, the years of planning and research and for what? To be wasted on some idea that was nothing more than a fever dream!”

“What do you mean?”

“I peered through the gate, into the Quantum Sea. The way to the Human World...it’s too fragile to traverse. Even if we got this gate open, we could never enter that world. You know as well as I do the history of how the Digital World was born, and how the Human World is supposed to bear the strongest ties among the worlds on the Quantum Sea. I can only think of a handful of ways in which that connection could be compromised to such a degree.”

“I see,” NeoDevimon nodded. “It’s quite possible that there was some great calamity that destroyed the ties between our worlds in the process. Perhaps their destructive nature finally got the best of them.”

“What happened isn’t the problem,” Mephistomon said. “The problem is that this unravels everything we planned!”

NeoDevimon looked to the large gate, bringing a golden claw to his chin. “While I understand your frustration Mephistomon, I believe what we have here is merely a minor setback.”

“Elaborate…”

“Our goal was to search for a means to shift the balance of power of the Digital World. If we can’t find that means in the Human World, we’ll just have to find someplace else. Fortunately, it seems that a candidate has sent a few lost souls our way.”

Mephistomon scoffed. “Surely you can’t mean those tiny, pastel-colored rugrats running around on Server, do you? We know next to nothing about them, let alone their world!”

“We know that it shares a connection to the Digital World. One that is strong enough for its inhabitants to cross over into our own.” NeoDevimon conjured a small projector into his hand. “We also have this…” He switched on the projector, which beamed a holographic screen showing video footage of Primary Village. Panning across the town, the ponies were seen taking care of various baby Digimon. The view focused on Sweetie Belle smiling over a crib while levitating a bottle of milk.

NeoDevimon paused the video. “This footage was from the Gizumon during their reconnaissance before the Primary Village attack. Notice anything peculiar?”

Mephistomon looked at the screen for a few moments. “The bottle...is it floating? Is she doing that somehow?”

“Looks like it, her horn is lit up with the same aura.”

Mephistomon put a hand to his chin. “Interesting. So these ponies seem to possess a certain affinity to magic. Even the humans could never truly master the most basic of arcane arts.”

“Indeed,” NeoDevimon nodded, switching off the projector. He then casually tossed it towards a pile of debris, where it hit the head of a cowering Soulmon.

“So, we know they can channel magic, but to what degree? Does their magic come from within or from without? And how far have they advanced technologically?”

“Is it possible to pinpoint their world among the Quantum Sea? We may be able to conduct some reconnaissance using astral projection.”

Mephistomon sighed. “With what little we know, it’ll be like trying to find a needle in a coal mine.”

Tsukaimon peered out from behind the rock he was hiding behind, along with several Bakemon and Soulmon. “Um, don’t you mean haystack, my lord?”

“No...no I do not,” Mephistomon said wryly.

“Well then, it sounds like we’ll have to work on gathering intelligence on their world, and then move forward from there,” NeoDevimon said. “I’ll have a couple of the Gizumon monitor their movements. Maybe they’ll overhear some conversations about their world.”

“I’d be willing to bet you could learn a bit about them if you took a peek inside their dreams too.”

“You know how to infiltrate the dreams of others?”

“No, but I know about certain Digimon who can. Tell me, are there any Tapirmon roaming the continent?”

The six eyes on NeoDevimon’s mask glowed red. “You can’t possibly be suggesting to bring a holy Digimon into the fold? They would never work with Digimon like us! Not to mention they’re immune to many dark magics, including my Guilty Claw and your Black Shadow Virus!”

“Tapirmon derive their holy magics from a ring on their foreleg. If you can find one, I can have Tsukaimon assist you in taking it. After that, he’ll be open to your Guilty Claw.”

“Why not use your Virus?”

“Personally I value a spy whose both loyal and can speak in complete sentences. Unfortunately, the Black Shadow Virus only ensures the former at this point in development.”

“I see. And are you certain that your...pet will be up for the task,” NeoDevimon glanced at Tsukaimon, who quickly bowed after realizing he was the center of his attention.

“He has his uses. And if he botches the job somehow, feel free to do what you want with him.”

Tsukaimon gulped.

“Very well then,” NeoDevimon nodded. “In the meantime, continue researching ways to open a gateway and building our army.”

“What about the DigiDestined? They’ve managed to find the Tags in a matter of hours after landing on Server, and it’s only a matter of time before they find the Crests.”

“If the bounty hunters on this continent don’t possess the competence to capture a group of small children, then we’ll step in if an opportunity presents itself. What’s your point?”

“My point is there’s no way that they could’ve found those Tags so quickly without outside help! I fear that Anahita may have a part in this.”

“What do you suggest?”

“If that annoying nuisance is popping her head out of whatever hole she’s hiding in, we need to chop it off the moment she does. If you’d send some Gizumon my way, I can have them try to track her down and...do what they do best.”

NeoDevimon sighed. “I only managed to reactivate a handful of them, but I’ll see what I can spare. Just remember to stay focused on the larger goal. We can’t waste time with you getting distracted by a personal vendetta.”

As NeoDevimon sank back into the shadows, Mephistomon turned to the remaining Digimon in the chamber. “Alright, everyone pack up and return to the stronghold. We have work to do. Tsukaimon, inform the remaining crews to finish collecting their data and head home. Make sure we leave nothing behind.”

“At once my lord!” Tsukaimon bowed before fluttering out of the chamber.

The next morning the elder Palmon was taking a look at the Night Flowers the DigiDestined gathered. “It is truly a remarkable specimen, and we have you to thank for bringing them here.”

“It was no biggie,” Scootaloo said with some moxie.

“But Sandiramon was pretty big wasn’t he?" Guilmon said, bursting Scootaloo’s bubble of confidence.

“Regardless, we owe you a debt of gratitude so please take this." The Palmon elder gave Scootaloo a small coin purse filled with bytes. Scootaloo promptly put it away in her Digivice. “It’s also nice to see some semblance of peace with the Floramon." Looking out the window they saw Palmon sharing some of the Night Flowers with Floramon. “It certainly won’t be perfect overnight but I see a bright future for us.”

Diamond Tiara came downstairs with an aura of happiness surrounding her. “Oh wow! That was the best night's sleep I’ve had since we landed in this world. I will never take beds for granted again.”

Silver Spoon then came downstairs as well. “It’s also nice to be able to shower and get all this grime off us.”

Rumble and Bearmon were next. “I hear that. I remember my mom always saying, ‘Rumble go wash yourself off, you’re filthy!’ even though I was barely out for an hour. It’s a whole different story after a week in the outdoors, actually seeing all that dirt go down the drain. You know what I mean Bearmon?"

But Bearmon was too busy enjoying his handfuls of honey-covered treats to really pay attention. “Huh, wuh?” he muttered, his cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk.

On their way out they decided to pay the Floramon a visit in their shop. It was quite the sight to behold; similar to the Palmon garden there was a wide array of colors and beautiful scents all around them.

The Floramon they helped yesterday noticed them and went up to greet them. “Hello there, what do you think of our flower shop?”

“It’s so pretty," Sweetie Belle remarked.

“I know, right? What kind of flower is that? Did you cross breed any of them?” Silver Spoon began launching an utter tirade of questions and a collective groan came from the ponies.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to her antics eventually,” Diamond Tiara groaned.

Another Floramon soon burst through the door in a frantic state. “We got trouble. There are some nasty looking Digimon prowling the town.”

Everyone looked outside and saw the Impmon from Kamemon’s trading post.

“Oh great, not those guys again!" Rumble said with disgust.

“You know them?”

“Unfortunately, yes. But what are they doing here?”

One of the Impmon held up one of the ponies’ wanted posters, asking questions to a Digimon on the street.

“Looks like they saw the bounty posters at Kamemon’s place!" Sweetie Belle said with a spooked tone.

“I guess they wanted to make some extra cash,” Armadillomon said.

“Either way, we can’t let them know we’re here," Diamond Tiara pointed out. “Is there anywhere in this shop where we can hide?”

In the ruins of Myotismon’s castle, a lone Digimon prowled the halls. It slowly wandered the halls on four legs, it’s long claws clicking on the stone floor. Its body was covered from canine head to tail in jet black armor. If anyone were still in the castle, they would tremble from the sight of the two pauldrons on its shoulders, which looked identical to the helm covering the top of the Digimon’s head. The small yellow lights coming from the eye sockets of the two pauldrons gave the Digimon the appearance of a large three-headed dog.

The Digimon swept his head back and forth, his yellow eyes piercing through every dark corner of the castle as he sniffed the air around him. He made his way deeper into the castle, eventually arriving at the massive underground chamber housing the massive iron gate. He paused, noting the extensive damage done to the chamber.

“Hmm...this seems recent,” the Digimon growled. He wandered over to one of the many fresh craters in the chamber. “This kind of damage could only be done by an Ultimate level Digimon, or a powerful Champion level,” he observed. Leaning down to the crater, he sniffed the area several times. “Dark magic, but is it…” he trailed off for a moment, only to shake his head with a long sigh. “No...not him.”

He looked towards the gate, noting a few scraps of white cloth laying around. “Smells like death. Ghost Digimon, maybe Soulmon or Bakemon,” the Digimon noted.

A soft glint of light caught the corner of his eye. Towards the staircase, he spotted a small purple crystal. He looked closely, noting how it almost looked like a dark cloud was swirling inside the crystal. When he leaned down to smell it however, he recoiled in disgust. He leaped backward several feet, growling as green flames filled his mouth.

“EMERALD BLAZE!” the Digimon doused the crystal with a large gout of green flames. He watched as the crystal shattered, releasing a dark purple mist that quickly burned away in the flames.

Before he could begin to ponder the nature of the mist, which smelled foul with dark magic, the eyes within his right pauldron lit up. He paused as he glanced at the pauldron, almost as if someone where there, whispering in his ear. A few moments later, he whipped over to his right, noticing a long scratch mark on the wall of the chamber. He quickly walked to it, rearing up on his hind legs to get a better view.

“Was this the work of the same Ultimate?” he wondered aloud as he sniffed the claw mark. “No, this one is from someone else. Around the same time too. Maybe they—” he stopped, his eyes slowly widening. “Wait a minute, that smells like…”

The canine Digimon took in the scent, analyzing every trace of data the culprit had left behind until his suspicion was confirmed. A grin slowly spread across his face. “There you are…” he smirked.

The scent of his prey still fresh, the Digimon bounded out of the chamber. The eyes behind all three of the helms lit up with glee, knowing that their hunt for him would continue.

Back at the flower shop, the Impmon burst through the front door, sending it flying off its hinges.

“How rude, don’t you know how to knock?" Floramon yelled.

“Can it!" Impmon shouted back. He then pulled out a wanted poster of Sweetie Belle. “We’re looking for these creatures, have you seen them?”

“No, we have not seen anything like them, now please be on your way.”

“I don’t buy it. They’re here somewhere aren’t they? Everyone, search the shop!" The Impmon began vigorously checking out the whole shop. They checked under tables, behind shelves, and beneath the potted flowers. One of them found a locked door in the back. “Hey, what’s in that locked room?”

“That’s for employees only. We cultivate some of our more unique breeds of flora back there.”

“Oh really?" the Impmon smirked. He lifted his finger, conjuring a red flame. “BADA BOOM!” he shouted, launching a small red firebolt at the door and sending it flying back. Behind it was a large room filled with potted Night Flowers.

“What do you think you’re doing!” one of the Floramon rushed into the room, throwing a black tarp over the flowers. “Are you crazy? You could’ve burned them!”

“Forget it, they’re not here,” one of the Impmon sighed. “Let’s just bail."

“Hey! You still need to pay for the doors you brutes!" But Floramon’s comment fell on deaf ears as the Impmon left the shop to search the rest of the town.

On the outskirts of town, two Floramon worked together to pull a large cart of flowers. They stopped by a couple of houses to deliver a few flower orders. As they pulled near a few empty houses, one of the Floramon looked to make sure the coast was clear. Nodding to her sister, the two worked together to lift a few very large pots out of the cart.

Checking once more to make sure it was clear, Floramon pulled the large plant out of the pot, a small disk of fake soil glued to the decorative plastic fern. “You okay in there?” she whispered into the pot.

“No…” groaned a voice from the pot. “Can we get out of here yet?”

Floramon tipped the pot onto its side, sending Apple Bloom, Bearmon, Armadillomon and Rumble tumbling out.

“Whew, that’s much better!” Apple Bloom stretched. “Now I know what it feels like to be a pickle in a jar!”

The Floramon tipped over another jar, pouring out Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Guilmon and Palmon. “Oh thank Celestia!” Sweetie Belle gasped. “Fresh air!”

“Look, I said I was sorry alright?” Scootaloo winced as she felt a few pops in her back. “Could we just let it go already?”

A few more pots later, and the rest of the group was back together. “We are NOT doing that again!” Diamond Tiara fixed her hair.

“It got us out didn’t it?” Babs Seed pointed out.

“Touche,” Diamond Tiara nodded. “Thanks Floramon.”

“Hey, it was the least we could do,” Floramon shrugged. “So, what’d you do to have such a high bounty put on your heads?”

“Someone’s framin’ us for destroying Candlelight Village,” Apple Bloom said.

The two Floramon looked at each other. “Wait, you mean the rumors are true? Candlelight’s been destroyed? And people are saying it was you?”

“More or less,” Babs Seed shook her head. “You...don’t believe that do you?”

Floramon was silent for a moment before chuckling to herself. “After what happened yesterday, I don’t think you could possibly do something like that.”

“Well that’s good to hear,” Sweetie Belle sighed in relief.

“Yeah, but you should probably still get out of here,” Floramon looked over her shoulder. “When word gets out about bounties that high passing through, there’s no way that some real bounty hunters will pass that up.”

“Right, thanks again!” Apple Bloom nodded before running out of town with the rest of her friends.

“Good luck!” Floramon called out.

They ran as far from Rosetown as they could until they ran out of breath. As they settled down in the shade, a beeping from their Digivices drew their attention. All of their screens showed Anahita’s sigil.

“Hello?” Anahita said, her voice sounding noticeably clearer than when she first called them on File Island. “Can you hear me now?”

“Anahita?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Ah, there you are,” Anahita said, sounding relieved. “I noticed you passed through Candlelight Village a few days ago. I can assume you got the little gift from my friend?”

“The Tags?” Sweetie Belle asked, glancing down at her own Tag. “Yep, we got them alright. But...the village is—”

“Yes, I heard…”

“Do you have any idea why we’re getting blamed for it?” Scootaloo asked.

“I can only assume that Mephistomon and NeoDevimon are trying to make life on Server as difficult for you as possible. This way they can continue their schemes without getting their hands dirty.”

“Go figure…” Hawkmon muttered.

“Listen, I have something important to tell you, and I don’t have a lot of time. Did you manage to recover any of the Crests yet?”

“Yeah!” Rumble declared. “We found the Crests of Courage and Friendship not long ago.”

“Excellent! Well, then I have some more good news. I’ve managed to locate the area where another Crest may be.”

“Okay…” Diamond Tiara narrowed her eyes. “Why do I get the feeling that there’s also—”

“But the bad news is—”

“Knew it!” Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes.

“The bad news is that it’s somewhere in one of the largest deserts on the continent.”

“A desert?” Silver Spoon asked. “Oh great…”

“But what are we supposed to do with these Crests once we find ‘em?" Apple Bloom asked.

“There will be trials ahead where you’ll—” Anahita suddenly cut out.

“Hello?" Apple Bloom tapped on her Digivice but it did no good. “Drat, we lost ‘er.”

“At least we know where we’re heading next though," Sweetie Belle said as she held up her Digivice map. A few miles west was a large area where the terrain began to flatten out, indicating the transition from forest to desert. Towards the center of the desert, a small circle appeared on the holographic map. “Guess the next Crest is there.”

“We may need ta stock up on water before we get there,” Babs Seed reasoned. “Hey cuz, any more towns near the desert where we can top off?”

Apple Bloom opened the map they bought from Kamemon. Her eyes scanned over the parchment for several moments before her expression dropped. “Uh...doesn’t look like it.”

Scootaloo glanced back towards Rosetown. “And I don’t know if we can sneak back into town with those Impmon looking for us.”

“Maybe we’ll get lucky and find a stream along the way or somethin’,” Apple Bloom sighed while she stowed away the traveler’s map. “But until then, I’d say we should start conservin’ whatever water we have on hoof.”

“Well…this should be fun,” Rumble deadpanned. He stared at the large desert on his map. Seeing the distance they would need to travel to reach the next Crest, he could already feel his throat starting to dry.

Chapter 13: A Secret in the Sand

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In a remote town on Server, a small taper-like Digimon hovered down the streets. He had brown and purple fur, blue eyes, two tusks, and smoke in place of hind legs. He wore a helmet that covered the top half of his face, etched with gold engravings on the forehead and around the eyes. He wore a large gold, engraved ring on his left foreleg; a symbol of holy power.

As he hovered down the street, lost in thought, another Digimon flagged him down from one of the houses. “Tapirmon!” he called out.

Tapirmon turned to the Digimon waving to him, noting his horn and the thick fur pelt he wore. “Yes Gabumon, is there a problem?” Tapirmon said in a soothing, monastic voice as he hovered over to him.

“N-no, not at all,” Gabumon rubbed his arm bashfully. “I just wanted to thank you for helping me with...you know.”

Tapirmon chuckled. “They were only dreams my friend. They could do you no harm.”

“But...the same one every night,” Gabumon shivered. “A-and it would only get worse every time. I was starting to get scared of having to get in my bed at the end of the day!”

“Well, I’m happy to put your troubled mind at ease friend,” Tapirmon bowed. “Just remember to take some time to relax every day, reflect on everything positive in your life. Go out and spend some time with your friends. Stress can leave a heavy mark on the mind of even the most steadfast of Digimon. And that can bleed into our dreams.”

“Yeah, I guess I have been pushing myself pretty hard lately,” Gabumon blushed. “Thanks again.”

Tapirmon brought his ring to his forehead. “Blessings of Ophanimon upon you,” he said before continuing down the street, a smile on his face. His sacred mission, as realized by all of his kind, was to aid Digimon plagued by terrible nightmares. Whether they were caused by a stressful life, a malicious virus, or the occasional curse, a Tapirmon would seek the troubled Digimon out to bring peace to their dreamscape.

As a holy Digimon, Tapirmon took his duties seriously and with great humility. But he couldn’t help taking a little pride in the results. As he continued down the street, he would sometimes be greeted by the Digimon he helped over the last few days. He returned their praises with a solemn bow, his heart swelling with their kind words.

“Hey you, Vapehog!”

Tapirmon stopped, his smile vanishing and his ears twitching at the insult. He quickly turned to the street corner to find a Tsukaimon standing atop a signpost. “Are you talking to me?” Tapirmon asked.

“No, I’m just having a conversation with my shadow, asking it why it won’t stop following me around. Of course, I’m talking to you!” Tsukaimon snapped. “Sheesh, you got your head pretty far up in the clouds you’re practically inhaling them. No wonder you got all that smoke coming out of your butt.”

“I beg your pardon?” Tapirmon angrily hovered towards Tsukaimon.

Tsukaimon closed his eyes. “Bad Message...” he whispered to himself.

“What was that?” Tapirmon interrogated. “Speak up little—”

“Tell me something…” Tsukaimon interrupted as he opened his eyes, which glowed slightly red at the iris. “What do you do exactly? Digimon say you’re some kinda dream therapist or some garbage, but all I can see is a Digimon blowing hot air.”

Tapirmon stopped in his tracks. “I...what?”

“I mean you just waltz on into town with your ‘holier than thou’ schtick, find some schmucks who’ve wet the bed, and do...what exactly?”

Tapirmon opened his mouth but struggled to get any words out.

“No, I’m really curious about this. Like, do you have them smoke some weeds you found on the side of the road on the way here? Or do you give some sort of speech about finding ‘inner peace’ or something? You know, talk ‘em to sleep?”

Tapirmon’s eyes began to water. Every time Tsukaimon opened his mouth, it felt like someone was throwing punches at his heart.

“And I’m guessing that afterward, you just kinda circle their sleeping form while expelling that smoke of yours. At least, that’s what I’m guessing based on the way one Digimon was complaining about the smell of his bedroom the next morning after your uh…‘therapy’,” Tsukaimon laughed. “I mean, did you decide to stop for a chili cheese dog beforehand? Because from what I heard...phew!”

Tapirmon buried his head in his paws as he began to cry. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t move or suppress any of his wails. Any Digimon passing by on the streets would be greeted to a sight of the normally stoic Digimon crying like he had just hatched from his egg. The embarrassing thought only drove him more into tears as he sank to the ground.

“Oh come on!” Tapirmon could feel Tsukaimon hovering in front of him. “This...is all it takes to best the oh-so-wise Tapirmon? Pathetic. I’m outtie!”

Tapirmon heard a few wing flaps get further and further away from him. Not three seconds afterward, as if something inside him flipped a switch, he stopped crying almost instantly. Tapirmon wiped his eyes, puzzled at how quickly the sorrow had passed. Or how such petty, almost comical, insults would cause him to break down like that.

Shaking his head clear, he brought his left foreleg up to his forehead to pray. But for some reason, it felt...lighter than usual. Glancing at his foreleg, he gasped to find his Holy Ring was missing.

“Hey, cloudfarts!” Tapirmon turned towards an alley, where Tsukaimon swung the ring back and forth. “You lose something?” Tsukaimon chuckled before racing down the alley.

“Stop, thief!” Tapirmon shouted as he chased him down winding alleys and side streets.

“Oh no, I think I can smell him catching up!” Tsukaimon said in mock panic.

Tapirmon growled and picked up speed, eventually cornering him at a dead-end alley.

“Look, I don’t want to have to fight you,” Tapirmon panted. “So just give me back my ring, and we can forget this ever happened. Otherwise, I’ll give you a moment to pray to whatever deity you hold dear.”

Tsukaimon's expression quickly shifted to fear. “Oh no...if anyone up there is listening, please help me!” he pleaded to the sky in a sarcastic tone. “Please, send a divine wind to blow this windbag away from me, lest he smite me with his sleepy farts!”

Tapirmon slowly exhaled a breath through his long nose. “Alright then, have it your way.” He closed his eyes and brought his paws together, slowly building up a ball of black smoke. “NIGHTMARE SYNDRO—” Tapirmon stopped his attack as a chill passed through him. The fur along his back began to stand on end as the shadows of the alley seemed to shift. “W-what is this?” he shivered as his breath became shallow.

“Huh, look at that,” Tsukaimon remarked. “Looks like my prayers have been answered.”

“What are you—”

“GUILTY CLAW!” an icy voice boomed from everywhere. Out of the shadows, a long arm reached out and grabbed Tapirmon faster than he could blink. Tapirmon screamed in agony as bolts of red energy coursed through him. The malevolent energy quickly overpowered the little Digimon, and he soon fell limp in the claw’s grasp.

“Wow, that worked out pretty well. Wouldn’t you say Lord NeoDevimon?” Tsukaimon asked the shadows.

“Yes, I’ll admit you performed far better than I expected you would,” NeoDevimon replied as the upper half of his body emerged from a wall. He looked down at the captured Digimon in his claw, gently opening it.“And how do you feel, Tapirmon?”

Tapirmon slowly picked himself up. He looked up to NeoDevimon, his eyes now completely white. “I feel like...a veil has been lifted from my eyes,” he said with a bow. “How may I repay this kindness, my master?”

“Well...now that you mention it, there is something you could do for me.” NeoDevimon’s six eyes glowed red with mischief.

“UUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHHHH!” Diamond Tiara groaned at the sun. “Why?! Why must you make this place so hot?”

“What were you expecting? We’re in a desert!” Scootaloo angrily gestured to the endless expanse of sand, rocks, and dried vegetation surrounding them. “It wasn’t exactly going to be a walk on the beach you know.”

“Oh ho ho, what would make you think that?” Diamond Tiara gave a somewhat crazed chuckle as she continued to trudge through the sand with everyone else. “This place is just like taking a walk on the biggest beach in the world. You know, aside from the lack of volleyball courts, a lemonade stand, a nice big slice of ocean to cool off in. Oh, and the distinct lack of possibility that we won’t end up as a natural “Enter At Your Own Peril” sign!” she shouted, pointing to a cow skull propped up on a rock.

“Diamond Tiara, I appreciate your imagination, really,” Babs Seed sighed. “But do ya think that maybe you could NOT be such a downer? What with us all bakin’ in the sun like this?!”

A chuckle made Babs turn to Silver Spoon. “Eh, what’s so funny?”

“Nothing, I was just thinking of when we first met you at Sweet Apple Acres,” Silver Spoon shook her head. “For some reason, I couldn’t help but think that you kind of looked like Apple Bloom if she were left out in the sun for too long.”

Apple Bloom slowly looked back at Silver Spoon, whose chuckles quickly wilted away under the flat gazes of the two Apple fillies.

“Alright, I don’t think many of us have the right to be complaining about the heat this much,” Rumble remarked. “Just think about this for a second. If you think you’re suffering right now, try to imagine how some of our fuzzier friends are holding up right now.”

Rumble looked over to Bearmon, who was dragging his arms through the sand and panting like a dog. His thick black coat of fur was certainly making the trek a lot more difficult for him. Over the past two hours, the heat had been steadily sapping the DigiDestined of strength and sanity, and not necessarily in equal measures.

Apple Bloom reached towards the canteen hanging from her neck and shook it. Despite finding a stream to restock on water before entering the desert, her canteen was almost half empty. “How’s everyone else holdin’ up with the water?” she asked as she passed Armadillomon his canteen.

“Not good,” Sweetie Belle replied. “Most of us are about half full, and Palmon and Bearmon have been constantly drinking from their canteens ever since we set hoof in this place.”

Apple Bloom booted up her Digivice, opening her map. Seeing the distance between the blinking dot that was her and the circle highlighted by Anahita made her wince. “Look, I know it’s hard, but we gotta try conservin’ whatever water we’ve got. At this rate, we might run out before we make it to the Crest. And if that happens, well…”

Everyone shuddered. Apple Bloom didn’t need to finish that sentence for everyone to understand how dangerous the situation could get.

“I...don't suppose there’s a chance we could find even a little water out here, is there?” Sweetie Belle asked.

Rumble gave her a flat look. “You seriously think we could find water in a place that gets THIS hot? Sure, let me check that.” Rumble hovered over everyone, flipping his monocular down. “Let’s see what we got here. We’ve got sand to the north, south, and west. And oh, what a surprise! More sand to the east…”

Sweetie Belle gave Rumble a flat glare as he dropped back down to the earth. “I was actually thinking of something else. There are plants that are growing here…” she gestured to some of the surrounding dry brush. “Well...kind of. But, they’ve got to get water from somewhere, right? Like groundwater or something?”

“I don’t know...sounds like a bit of a stretch to me,” Armadillomon shrugged. “I mean where do you suppose we even find something that’s even remotely green around here?”

“How about those?” Guilmon pointed to a small patch of cacti nearby.

“Yeah, there we go!” Sweetie Belle smiled. “Those have got to have some water in them, right?”

Everyone walked over to the patch of cacti, which looked nothing like what they were expecting. For starters, they were small, the largest one being roughly the size of a buckball. They mostly stood buried in the sand on their own, but there were a few large clumps of the cacti bundled together like cauliflower. And unlike the pictures many of them had seen in books, these cacti had no spines at all.

Sweetie Belle gently pulled one out of the ground with her magic. “So...how do we get the water out?” she asked.

“Are ya askin’ me?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Well yeah, you’re our group’s survival consultant.”

Apple Bloom blanched. “But...Applejack taught me wilderness survival whenever we went campin’ in the woods. You know, in case I got lost or somethin’. She never taught me what to do if I found myself in a desert! I’m not sure if she even knows anythin’ about that.”

“Hmm…” Sweetie Belle stared at the cactus. “Hold on, I think I’ve got an idea.” She placed the cactus on the ground, then picked up a nearby rock with her magic. She smashed the side of the cactus a few times until she punctured a hole into it. She then repeated the process with a second cactus before giving it to Palmon.

“Thanks, Sweetie Belle,” Palmon smiled. She closed her eyes as she tipped the cactus back. A second later, her eyes snapped wide open. She quickly dropped the cactus and spat out the small amount of fluid that she drank. “I don’t know what that stuff was, but I don’t think it’s water.” Palmon stopped. “It’s not water…”

Palmon quickly turned to Sweetie Belle. “Sweetie Belle, wait!”

But it was too late, Sweetie Belle had already downed most of the liquid in the cactus.

“What?” Sweetie Belle shrugged. “This stuff isn’t that bad. It’s got a bit of a tangy taste to it. Tangy taste, tangy tang...tang…” Sweetie Belle trailed off as her pupils began to dilate.

“Um, Sweetie Belle...are you okay?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Hey look guys, I can see the ocean. It’s so cool and sparkly!” Sweetie Belle smiled and ran towards a sand dune.

“What’s going on with her?” Rumble asked.

“That wasn’t water in the cactus,” Palmon explained. “It must have been a liquid it naturally produces to sustain itself. Whatever it was, it wasn't drinkable.”

“Oh look, I can see a dolphin. I think it wants to be friends,” Sweetie said with a dopey grin.

“Aw great!” Babs Seed groaned. “Ya mean to tell me that with everything else we got on our plates, we gotta deal with a trippin’ unicorn now!”

“What do you mean?” Veemon asked. “She’s lookin’ a little bit loopy right now, but she hasn’t tripped over anything yet.”

Babs Seed shook her head. “Let’s just keep moving.”

“Come on Sweetie Belle, let’s get going before you actually try to run off on your own,” Apple Bloom said as she hoisted Sweetie onto Armadillomon’s back.

“Bye-bye mister dolphin,” Sweetie Belle waved at the imaginary dolphin as everyone else groaned.

As the day dragged on and the sun moved across the sky, conditions only got worse for the DigiDestined. The temperature continued to rise, sapping the strength from everyone as their speed slowed to a crawl. Everyone felt their canteens getting lighter and lighter, despite their best efforts. And unfortunately for everyone, Sweetie Belle’s ranting only got more absurd.

“Arrg, where be the map to Dark Water Isle?” Sweetie Belle demanded.

“Map to Dark Water—” Silver Spoon shook her head. “What is she going on about now? First she thinks she sees the ocean, then she’s talking about finding “The One Ring” or something, before that she was practically screaming for Apple Bloom to put out the non-existent fire in Scootaloo’s hair. Now what, she thinks she’s a pirate or something? This is just getting stupid!”

“Sweetie Belle, just calm down and stick with us, please,” Palmon gently tugged at her vines, which she had wrapped around Sweetie Belle’s chest like a leash.

“Aye, I fear there be mutiny aboard this vessel,” Sweetie Belle glanced to everyone suspiciously. “First Mate Palmon, I be needin’ ye to get the brig ready, just to be on the safe side.”

“Ugggh,” Apple Bloom growled. “Sweetie Belle, if ya know what be best for ye, you’ll drop the pirate speak right now! Savvy?”

“Guys…” Bearmon wheezed. “I...I need a minute.”

Rumble rushed to Bearmon, letting him lean on his shoulder. “Come on, you think you can make it over there?” he pointed to a large butte nearby. “Maybe we can find some shade there.”

“Good call,” Veemon nodded as he walked over to Bearmon. “Come on bud, you can make it,” he said as he lifted his other arm over his shoulder.

Everyone made their way over to the large butte and managed to find a small shady alcove to collapse in.

“I...I don’t know how much longer I can do this,” Diamond Tiara panted. “How much further do we need to go?”

Silver Spoon opened her Digivice map. She scanned the terrain for a moment before leaning back with a groan. “Don’t ask. Please don’t ask...”

“We can do this everypony,” Scootaloo said as she took a small sip of water. “We just have to keep moving and get there before something else happens.”

“Hey look!” Sweetie Belle pointed to the horizon with a smile. “There’s a big breeze coming to say hello! What’s up, Mr. Breeze!”

“Do we have any duct tape or somethin’? I don’t know how much more of her I can take!” Babs Seed pleaded.

“Um guys…” everyone looked to Rumble, who was over by Sweetie Belle, looking through his monocular. He slowly lifted the scope with a worried look. “We may have a problem.”

“What now?” Apple Bloom trotted over to Rumble and Sweetie Belle. “What could possibly make this situation any—” Despite the blazing temperature, Apple Bloom could feel her blood freeze. In the distance, a massive wall of sand swirled and churned as it devoured the desert, moving steadily towards them.

“Oh...shi—”

“Talking mushrooms!” Sweetie Belle giggled. Apple Bloom grabbed her by the tail and dashed back to the alcove.

Armadillomon saw the look in Apple Bloom’s eye and quickly got up. “Apple Bloom, what’s wrong?”

“Sandstorm!” Apple Bloom cried out.

“What?!” Diamond Tiara jumped up and looked around the corner. “Oh no...oh horse apples! What do we do?!” She pranced in place.

Apple Bloom looked around. “Well, there’s was no way we can outrun the storm, especially with our delusional friend,” She gestured to Sweetie Belle.

“I want to eat the talking mushrooms.”

“Everyone listen up!” Apple Bloom opened her Digivice’s inventory, quickly bringing out the tarp. “We gotta hold tight here an’ wait for this thing to blow over. Babs, Scoots, I need ya’ll to find a couple heavy rocks. Armadillomon, Guilmon, you dig a couple of shallow holes to put em’ in. We’ll use em’ as anchors to keep this thing from blowin’ away!”

“On it!” Scootaloo looked around the base of the butte with Babs Seed.

“Veemon, ya know how to tie a decent knot?” Apple Bloom frantically scrolled through her Digivice.

“Uh...yeah?” Veemon tentatively nodded.

Apple Bloom tossed him some rope. “I need ya to tie this thing so it’s over everyone’s heads, while still givin’ us cover for the front!”

Veemon glanced between the rope in his hands and the size of the tarp Apple Bloom was unfolding. “Uh...it’s probably gonna be a tight squeeze.”

“Just do it!” Apple Bloom demanded.

“Okay, okay!” Veemon grabbed a part of the tarp and raced towards the back of the alcove.

Everyone worked quickly to get the tarp up and over them. Terriermon helped Veemon tie the tarp to the rocks behind them, while Scootaloo and Babs Seed put the two rocks over the remaining corners on the ground. Armadillomon managed to make a couple of small divots in the ground to keep the rocks from rolling away.

“Alright, everyone inside. Quick!” Apple Bloom waved everyone into the shelter.

“Behold the majesty of the wind!” Sweetie Belle spread her arms out as if to embrace the storm in a hug.

“Come on ya dolt!” Apple Bloom grabbed her by the ear and dragged her inside.

Everyone huddled towards the back of the alcove, eyes glued to the flimsy blue wall separating them from the outside. What was once a loud whistling soon grew into a rumble, almost as though a distant train was barreling towards them. Then the outside world got darker as the sand rose up to devour the butte.

Everyone shielded their eyes as the sand battered the tarp, threatening to yank it from the ground and smother the DigiDestined. They turned towards the wall, huddling closer together and keeping their eyes shut. Scootaloo lowered her goggles over her eyes and looked towards the tarp. The outside desert had been replaced with a massive, dark golden cloud that angrily swirled over everything in sight. What little she could see anyway.

After several minutes, which felt like hours, the winds began to die down. Sunlight began leaking in through the tarp. Scootaloo slowly poked her head out of the shelter. “Looks like it’s over everyone,” she said, lifting her goggles up to her forehead.

A collective sigh of relief came from the shelter as ponies and Digimon emerged into the blazing sun, caked in sand.

“Sweet Celestia on a pogo stick, that was brutal!” Babs Seed brushed through her hair, trying to get all the sand out.

“I never did like sand,” Hawkmon fumed, shaking his wings in a vain attempt to get all the sand out of his feathers. “It’s rough, irritating, and it just...gets everywhere!” he flapped angrily.

“Hey, you think maybe we could stop here for today?” Rumble asked Apple Bloom. “I mean, this is the first bit of shade we’ve seen for miles. If we keep going in this heat, I’m not sure how far we’ll make it.”

Apple Bloom looked around. Everyone was exhausted. “Yeah, I think that’s a good idea,” Apple Bloom nodded. “But maybe we should think about gettin’ up early tomorrow. Might be a bit more bearable that way instead of tryin’ to get through this place durin’ the afternoon.”

Some of the ponies groaned a little at the prospect of getting up early but understood Apple Bloom’s logic. Some of them rested in the shade with their Digimon, others helped fix the shelter or gather whatever vegetation they could find for a fire.

“Everything alright Apple Bloom?” Apple Bloom turned to find Armadillomon beside her, carrying a bundle of dried twigs on his shell.

“I’m just worried about gettin’ to the Crest without anythin’ bad happenin’,” Apple Bloom sighed. “I thought we’d be alright after we found some water before walkin' in here, but I didn’t think it’d be THIS hot. And even if we do make it, how are we gonna make it all the way back out?”

Armadillomon glanced back to the campsite. “We’ll just have to be careful, and try our best to push through this,” he looked back up to Apple Bloom with an optimistic smile. “And hey, look on the bright side. When the sun goes down, it’ll probably get a bit cooler.”

Scootaloo wrapped her blanket tightly around her. “Okay, I’m s-s-starting to think deserts were invented by Disc-c-c-cord,” she shivered. “Because this is just some kind of cruel joke!”

“Tell me about it,” Apple Bloom shakily placed another branch on the dwindling campfire in front of her. “After walkin’ in a place that was blazin’ hot all day, I didn’t expect it to be...SO DARN COLD!”

All around the campfire, everyone was huddled together, tightly wrapped up in blankets, and trying to get as close to the fire as possible. Despite everyone’s best efforts to keep it lit, the fire kept burning through the dried twigs and branches quickly. Even Guilmon couldn’t keep the fire going with his Pyro Spheres.

“T-t-t-this sucks!” Diamond Tiara whined, pulling her blanket up and over her head.

“Ninety-three buckets of oats on the wall, ninety-three buckets of oats!” Sweetie Belle sang. “Take one down, pass it around, you got ninety-two buckets of oats on the wall!”

Apple Bloom groaned, her ears plastered to her head. “Please stop Sweetie Belle, I’m beggin’ you!”

“Ninety-two buckets of oats on the wall, ninety-two buckets of oats! Take one down, pass it around, you got...ninety one...buckets of…” Sweetie Belle trailed off before collapsing into the sand with a snore.

“Oh thank Luna!” Rumble sighed in relief.

A gentle breeze blew through the camp, extinguishing the pitiful campfire and chilling everyone to the bone.

“Alright, that’s it!” Terriermon waddled over to Silver Spoon and crawled under her blanket.

“What the hay?” Silver Spoon looked down as Terriermon crawled up her. “What are you doing?”

Terriermon snuggled into Silver Spoon’s chest and wrapped his ears around her. “Ah...that’s a little better.”

Silver Spoon rolled her eyes, despite the chuckle that slipped from her mouth. The additional warmth certainly didn’t hurt either. She gently wrapped both of their blankets around them as she settled down, holding Terriermon like a stuffed animal.

“Ya know...that probably ain’t such a bad idea,” Apple Bloom motioned for everyone to gather under the tarp, huddling up and wrapping each other in layers upon layers of blankets. Eventually, they managed to get warm enough to stop shivering and drift off into sleep.

Everyone woke up early the next morning with some discomfort.

“Ugh, now I know how sardines feel,” Scootaloo said as she stretched her neck.

“Oowww, my head...” Sweetie Belle groaned.

“Are you finally off the cactus juice?” Silver Spoon asked.

“I think so, at the very least I’m not seeing things anymore.”

After a quick breakfast, the DigiDestined gathered their belongings and resumed their long trek. Their water canteens were running dangerously low, and everypony was starting to worry.

“Well, that’s it. Stick a fork in us because we’re toast. Literally...” Rumble bemoaned.

Diamond Tiara looked off to her side and saw something she couldn’t believe: a snow cone stand. “Look everyone, snow cones!” She immediately ran towards the stand at top speed. “Oh my gosh, can you believe our luck? Silver Spoon, they have our favorite flavors!” She looked back to see everyone staring at her like she grew a second head. “Come on, don’t just stand there!”

Everyone watched as she ran around the massive rock she called a snow cone stand.

Apple Bloom looked to Silver Spoon “Do ya want to tell her or should I?”

“Nah, she’ll figure it out,” Silver Spoon shook her head. “Eventually...probably.”

Diamond Tiara looked back at the group. “What’s wrong guys, come on its snow cones!”

As they continued to watch their delirious friend, Sweetie Belle slowly pulled out her camera, a mischievous grin on her face.

“Look, it’s nothin’ to worry about,” Apple Bloom giggled. “It was bound ta happen to one of us.”

“Can we just drop it, please?” Diamond Tiara looked down, her face showing a touch of red.

Rumble chuckled before looking back to his partner. “Hey Bearmon, how are you holding up?”

“Water...need water,” Bearmon said weakly.

Scootaloo looked over to her left, her eyes widening. “Guys, over there!” she jumped up excitedly. “I think I see—” she stopped herself, thinking about Diamond Tiara’s incident a few minutes back. “Wait...does anyone else see a circus tent with flying monkeys over there?”

“No,” everyone groaned.

“What about a country band playin’ on stage over that way?” Apple Bloom asked, squinting at the dunes ahead of them.

“Nope, sorry,” Armadillomon shook his head.

“So the lake ova there is probably a mirage too,” Babs Seed pointed to her right with a sigh. “I mean, it’s got a traffic light hangin’ ova it for cryin’ out loud.”

Rumble looked to where Babs was pointing and stopped in his tracks. “You said it has a traffic light? Does it have a bunch of palm trees hanging around the edges too?” he asked as he lowered his monocular.

Babs stopped and slowly looked to the mirage. “Um...yeah actually. How’d ya know?”

Rumble slowly lifted his monocular. “Because I see it too…”

Everyone stopped and turned to see Babs’ discovery. Not too far from them was a small oasis, with a small blue lake towards the center. The sight gave everyone hope and a burst of energy as they dashed for the lake.

Babs was the first to reach the lake, slowly dipping her hoof in the cool water as a grin slowly spread across her face. “It’s...it’s real,” she whispered. “We actually found water!” Babs Seed lowered her head, ready to take a sip.

“NO, WAIT!” Apple Bloom yanked Babs away from the lake.

“What are ya doin'?” Babs pushed Apple Bloom off of her, rushing back to the water.

“Ya can’t drink it like that!” Apple Bloom jumped on top of her cousin.

“Just a sip, just one itty bitty sip!” Babs begged as she wriggled towards the water, tongue hanging out of her mouth.

“Just hold on a second, please!” Apple Bloom pinned Babs down using the last of her strength.

“What’s your problem, Apple Bloom?” Sweetie Belle asked as everyone caught up with them.

“The problem is that it ain’t running like a stream,” Apple Bloom gestured to the lake.

“So, what’s the big deal?” Babs Seed growled from beneath Apple Bloom.

“The big deal is that it might not be safe to drink the way it is now!” Apple Bloom slowly stepped off of Babs Seed. “Ya still got those water purifyin’ pills?”

Babs Seed reached into one of the pouches on her bandolier, pulling out a small blue packet of white pills. “Yeah…” she passed the pack to Apple Bloom, who quickly grabbed it.

“I know we’re all thirsty,” she said as she dipped her canteen into the lake, filling it up before dropping a pill into it. “But we do NOT wanna risk drinkin’ this water the way it is now. Trust me…”

“What do you mean?” Diamond Tiara passed Apple Bloom her canteen.

Apple Bloom looked down in embarrassment as she filled up the canteens. “One time when I went campin’ with Applejack, I was playin' around in a pond, and I drank some of the water, even though she told me not to. About twenty minutes later…” she shook her head. “Look, it wasn’t worth it! So, we just gotta wait for about thirty minutes before these are good ta drink. We can hang out in the shade while we wait.”

“Thirty minutes, are ya serious?” Babs Seed whined. “Come on cuz, why can’t we just drink it now? What’s the worst that could happen?”

Apple Bloom gave Babs a flat look. “Let me put it this way: we’re already out of water, the last thing we need is to burn through the rest of our toilet paper.”

“Why would we—” Babs Seed stopped, her expression morphing from realization to disgust in the span of a few seconds. “Oh...gross!”

After resting in the shade of the palm trees that surrounded the oasis for half an hour, everyone opened their refilled canteens and took the first sip of freshwater they’ve had in a while.

Diamond Tiara’s expression tightened as she swallowed the water. “Ugh, it tastes like...dishwasher soap.”

“Yeah, I think this stuff is supposed to have iodine in it or somethin’,” Apple Bloom inspected the pack of water purification tablets. “But it’s safe to drink. Safer than it was thirty minutes ago, that’s for sure.”

Everyone drank from their canteens, taking small sips until they were empty. After refilling their canteens again, they looked around the oasis they found themselves in. The green palm trees and patches of somewhat green vegetation surrounding them were a welcome sight in the vast expanse of sand. The one odd thing that stood out was the traffic light dangling on a line strung between two trees, which constantly blinked with a yellow light.

After a while, hunger began to set in for the group. Babs Seed clutched her stomach as it growled. “Really wish we could find some grub around here.” Her gaze then went to Sweetie Belle, who was holding an egg in her hooves. “Sweetie Belle, where did you nab that egg?” That question seemed to get the attention of everyone else.

“This? I got it from that fridge over there,” Sweetie Belle pointed to a patch of shade with a refrigerator plugged into a random outlet.

“I swear, this world keeps gettin’ weirda and weirda.”

“Alright, but how do you plan to cook it?” Scootaloo asked as she went to lean on a large rock. “It’s probably going to take a while to build a fire. And who knows if it’s going to stay lit this—” Her eyes widened when she touched the rock. “YOUCH!” she cried, leaping into the air.

“Whoa! You okay there?” Sweetie Belle ran over to Scootaloo.

“Geez, that’s hot!” Scootaloo winced as she rubbed her side.

Sweetie Belle went over to the blazing hot rock, placing a hoof on it for a moment before recoiling from the heat. She looked from the rock to the egg.

“What are you doing now Sweetie Belle?” Palmon asked.

“Improvising,” she answered plainly.

“Uh oh…” Palmon muttered, thinking back to how she “improvised” yesterday with the cacti.

Sweetie Belle lifted the egg and tried to crack it on the edge of the rock, but ended up crushing it by accident and getting it everywhere. “Hehe, whoops,” she blushed as the scattered egg whites sizzled, steadily burning to a crisp.

“Nicely done,” Silver Spoon deadpanned. She then came up to her with another egg and the skillet from her mess kit. “Here, let me show you.” Silver Spoon cracked the egg over the skillet and placed it on the rock. “See, you’ve got to be gentle when cracking the egg, you can’t just slam it.” Silver Spoon focused on the egg, occasionally moving the skillet around while humming a little tune to herself. Before long, she had a nicely cooked sunny-side-up egg.

“That was amazing Silver Spoon, where did you learn to do that?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Oh, I’ve always loved to cook. In fact, I got my Cutie Mark when I made dinner for my parents for the first time,” Silver said with a nostalgic smile.

"Huh...I never would've guessed that your talent would be cooking," Sweetie Belle smiled.

With Silver Spoon’s help, they managed to cook enough eggs for everyone present.

“Mmm...I love the smell of cooked eggs in the morning. I mean, yeah it’s closa to the evening, but still,” Babs Seed smiled as she took another bite of her eggs. “I gotta tell ya, these come pretty close to the eggs my sista makes.”

“From what I heard in your letters, that’s some mighty high standards,” Apple Bloom chuckled. “I kinda wish we had some pepper with these though.”

“I hear you,” Rumble said as he licked his plate clean. “I like to sprinkle a bit of cheese on my eggs.”

“That sounds good,” Scootaloo nodded. “My Aunt Holiday can make some pretty mean scrambled eggs. Put some ketchup on them and BAM! Best breakfast ever.”

Diamond Tiara almost choked on her eggs. “I’m sorry, ketchup? You would eat eggs with...ketchup?”

“That’s kind of gross,” Silver Spoon nodded.

“Hey, don’t you dis ketchup! It’s the best condiment ever made,” Scootaloo shot back.

As the sun began to set, they decided to set up camp beside the oasis. And thanks to the greener vegetation, they did a much better job building a lasting campfire. Although the situation was still quite dire, everyone was in high spirits as they fell asleep under the glow of the stars and the traffic light.

The next morning, the journey only continued to take its toll on the group. Palmon looked more and more like a dried-up leaf and Bearmon could barely walk straight.

“So...hot,” Silver Spoon coughed. No matter how often she took a sip from her canteen, her throat was always scratchy.

“If we die here—,” Babs Seed started to say. “—I just want you guys to know that you’ve been really great friends.”

“I regret that I didn’t get to go to another family reunion,” Apple Bloom sadly said.

“I regret never learning how to fly,” Scootaloo said, her tiny wings dropping.

“I regret never getting to kiss a guy!” Sweetie Belle nearly broke into tears.

Rumble walked up to Sweetie Belle, doing his best to look suave. “Well, if you want no regrets…”

“Not even in this sorry state Rumble,” Sweetie Belle wrinkled her nose. Rumble could only stand there bemused at being so effortlessly shot down. But then, his eye caught something.

“Hey guys, look over there,” He pointed to an odd shape in the distance.

“How do you know it isn’t another mirage?” Diamond Tiara said doubtfully.

Rumble used his monocular to get a better look. “If it is, then that is one detailed mirage. It looks just like the sphinxes in Saddle Arabia. Maybe the Crest is there.”

“Well, it’s not like we have much more to lose at this point,” Silver Spoon added.

They began to move towards it when they heard a screeching sound overhead.

“What was that?” Babs Seed asked, her eyes scanning the sky.

“Kind of sounded like a hawk,” Sweetie Belle observed.

“That doesn’t sound like any hawk I’ve ever heard,” Rumble pointed out. He aimed his monocular at the sky to try and find the source of the sound. When he finally spotted it, his face turned a little pale. Flying towards them was a blue serpentine dragon with red wings, a feathered tail tip and a red mane like a lion. Its head was encased by what appeared to be a skull. “Take cover!”

Everyone dove to the ground as the dragon swooped down from the sky. As it was going back up Diamond Tiara managed to ID it with her Digivice.

Name: Airdramon
Level: Champion
Attribute: Vaccine/Data
Attacks:
Spinning Needle
Wing Cutter
Fatal Tornado

“That thing looks pretty nasty. We’re probably just a well-cooked meal for him,” Diamond Tiara pointed out.

“I was joking yesterday!” Rumble threw his hooves up.

Diamond Tiara held up her Digivice. “Hawkmon, you good enough for this?”

Hawkmon nodded. “I believe so, yes.”

“What about you Guilmon, you ready to party?” Scootaloo asked as she held up her own Digivice.

Guilmon roared at Airdramon as light enveloped his body.

Guilmon digivolve to…
Growlmon!
Hawkmon digivolve to…
Aquilamon!

“WING CUTTER!” Airdramon made the first move and unleashed large blades of wind at Aquilamon and Growlmon. Aquilamon had no issue dodging the attack but Growlmon wasn’t as nimble and took the blow directly to his shoulder.

Scootaloo winced. “That looked like it hurt,” she said as she rubbed her own shoulder.

“Try this! BLAST RINGS!” Aquilamon launched a series of energy rings from his mouth. But Airdramon used its serpentine body to easily avoid the attack and get above Aquilamon for a counterattack.

“SPINNING NEEDLE!” With a flap of its wings Airdramon, unleashed a cyclone that managed to hit Aquilamon on his wing, knocking him off course.

Diamond Tiara grimaced as she felt pain in her leg. “What was that?” she wondered aloud.

“PYRO BLASTER!” Growlmon tried to shoot Airdramon out of the sky but it was far better at dodging than Growlmon was at shooting.

“WING CUTTER!” Once again, it launched blades of wind that hit Growlmon dead on. Scootaloo winced as each blade connected.

“That thing’s too fast to be hit with ranged attacks,” Scootaloo pointed out.

“I think I have an idea! Growlmon, keep him distracted!” Aquilamon shouted. Aquilamon flew high into the air, vanishing in what little clouds there were.

“Uh...okay,” Growlmon dug his feet into the sand. “PYRO BLASTER!” Growlmon launched fireball after fireball at Airdramon, who danced around them with elegant, yet frightening grace.

“FATAL TORNADO!” Airdramon flew close to the ground and began flapping his powerful wings, whipping up the sand to create a powerful tornado. Growlmon held his claws up in front of him in a vain effort to shield himself.

As the sand swirled around Growlmon, a screeching sound began to echo across the desert, growing louder and louder. Everyone looked up in time to see the massive red blur that was Aquilamon swoop down from the sky to snatch Airdramon. Diamond Tiara watched in awe as Aquilamon banked right to dive back towards Growlmon, Airdramon writhing in his talons.

“Ready Growlmon? Here comes the pitch!” Aquilamon hurled Airdramon straight at Growlmon.

Growlmon smirked as the blades on his forearms extended. “DRAGON SLASH!” Growlmon’s blades glowed as he delivered a powerful uppercut slash at Airdramon, sending it flying back up in the air.

“GRAND HORN!” Aquilamon delivered the final blow, ramming straight into Airdramon with his horns. Aquilamon and Growlmon absorbed its remaining data while its Digicore flew off.

“Looks...like a home run to me,” Scootaloo said with an exhausted laugh.

“You alright there Scoots?” Apple Bloom trotted up to Scootaloo’s side. She looked like she was ready to collapse at any moment.

“Yeah, I think it’s just the heat getting to me,” Scootaloo waved her off.

Aquilamon landed with a stutter as he reverted back to Hawkmon, tumbling into the sand face first.

“Hawkmon!” Diamond Tiara galloped to her partner. “Are you okay?”

Hawkmon pulled his face out of the sand, revealing his flat, annoyed expression. “Peachy…” he groaned before shaking his head clear.

“Guilmon? How are you holding up buddy?” Scootaloo asked.

Guilmon shakily picked himself up. “I’m tired, is it nap time yet?” he whined.

“Hopefully soon Guilmon,” Scootaloo helped the red dinosaur back onto his feet. She looked at the vast distance standing between them and the sphinx. “Hopefully soon…”

The group trudged closer and closer to the sphinx, many of whom were on the verge of collapse. Rumble and Veemon struggled to carry Bearmon over to the shade, every step Palmon took was accentuated with a crinkle, and Guilmon was carrying Scootaloo on his back.

“So tired…” Scootaloo muttered, her eyes drifting shut.

“Hey! Stay with me up there!” Apple Bloom tapped Scootaloo’s side.

Everyone found a shady area near the sphinx’s right paw. Apple Bloom lifted up her shaky foreleg, switching on her Digivice’s map. Seeing that the small blinking dot was well within Anahita’s search area filled her heart with some relief. “Hey...we made it ya’ll,” Apple Bloom muttered with a small smile. “The Crest is here.”

“Yeah? Where though?” Diamond Tiara laid down in the sand.

“Well...I reckon we do a quick search around this thing, then meet back here,” Apple Bloom suggested.

“Guys…” Rumble sounded worried. Everyone turned to see him hovering over Bearmon, who was taking ragged breaths. “I don’t think all of us can be out in the sun for much longer.”

Apple Bloom saw many members of the group laying back in the sand, in worse shape than ever. “Okay, uh...Diamond Tiara, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Rumble, ya’ll hang here and look after your partners. The rest of us will check the statue out.”

“I...I can go too,” Scootaloo picked herself up, her legs shaking ever so slightly.

“Ya sure Scoots?”

“I’ve come this far, haven’t I?” she laughed with a slight cough.

“Well, alright then…” Apple Bloom gestured around the corner.

The team walked around the massive statue. In any other situation, they might’ve taken the time to admire the majesty of the sphinx. Many of them were expecting Silver Spoon to start asking questions at any moment. But everyone was focused on every inch of the statue, looking for even a hint of where the Crest might be. An indent, an out of place carving? But after traveling around the sphinx twice, the group found nothing.

“Where is it?” Apple Bloom asked frantically. “It’s...it’s gotta be here!”

“Calm down Apple Bloom. We just...we just need to…” Scootaloo muttered before collapsing in the sand.

“Scootaloo!” Apple Bloom and Guilmon cried out. Guilmon gently scooped her up and weakly carried her beneath the sphinx’s chin.

“Scoots? Come on girl, say somethin’!” Apple Bloom gently shook Scootaloo but got no response. She looked around, seeing many of her friends had already fallen unconscious too. “Oh no...no no no!”

Apple Bloom began to make her way over to Sweetie Belle, but lost feeling in her legs and stumbled to the ground. Shaking her head out of the sand, she looked up to the unconscious unicorn. “Sweetie Belle? Talk to me, please...” she pleaded. A loud thump made her turn to find Babs Seed joining her partner in the sand. “No…no please no!”

Apple Bloom turned over onto her back, staring up at the sphinx’s face. As the sun shined down onto her, a glint of light reflected off of the statue’s goatee. She squinted to see a large gem embedded in the rock face, resembling a stylized heart. The sun shined brighter, giving the gemstone a pinkish glow, making Apple Bloom shield her eyes. A few moments later she opened them to find no such gemstone in the goatee.

“Stupid mirages…” Apple Bloom groaned. She turned over onto her side, looking to the rest of the group, who were all either unconscious or too weak to move. Armadillomon looked like he was doing everything he could in an effort to not pass out. Apple Bloom looked back out into the desert, staring out into the vast, empty expanse they had struggled to get through for the past two days.

“Help!” she weakly croaked. Her throat felt itchy, and her tongue felt like sandpaper. “Someone...please...help!”

As her eyes began to stutter closed, she saw something that made her heart skip. A small splash of orange amidst the golden dust, standing on four legs and wearing a stetson hat.

“A-Applejack?” Apple Bloom picked her head up. “Is...is that you?” Gritting her teeth, she mustered up the last of her strength to push herself out into the sun. She crawled through the sand, determination pushing her closer and closer to her sister. “I can’t believe it...ya found us!”

She looked up to see her older sister smiling down on her as she extended a hoof. Apple Bloom smiled as she reached up to grab it...only for her hoof to pass right through. Her heart sank as she watched the image of her beloved sister blow away in the wind. “No...that ain’t fair!” Apple Bloom tried to cry, but her body lacked the fluids to produce any tears.

Apple Bloom laid on her side, not caring about the sand blowing over her. She glanced sadly back to the sphinx, where the rest of her friends lay. “I’m sorry Applejack...I tried,” she coughed. “I...I love you...sis.” She laid her head down, hearing the wind blow over her, and feeling the sun relentlessly drying her coat.

Somewhere nearby, she could’ve sworn that she heard the steady beating of wings. A few moments later, something gently poked her side, turning her over with the back end of a spear. She could make out the small silhouette of a large pixie-like creature staring down at her. It nudged her foreleg, noticing the Digivice strapped to it.

“Not yet DigiDestined, not yet…” it said in a cheery voice before Apple Bloom’s world was plunged into darkness.

Chapter 14: Piximon's School of Hard Knocks

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Scootaloo began to feel her limbs once more. Every inch of her body, from head to wings to hooves, felt sore and numb. Her mouth felt like cotton, her tongue like sandpaper. Her eyes creaked open, her vision foggy. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting to wake up to; if she ever woke up. The hot desert sun cooking her to a crisp. Or the sight of some kind of vulture Digimon hovering over her and her friends. But she didn’t expect to wake up beneath a whitewashed gazebo, feeling a cool breeze blow across her fur.

She glanced around the gazebo. Lush greenery surrounded her and the smell of scented candles filled the air. Where am I? she thought as she looked to a stick of burning incense. Am I dead? Never thought Heaven would look like some kind of outdoor spa.

A sharp pain lanced through her head. Wincing, she reached up to her forehead to find a cool, damp rag laying across her brow. Her goggles and Digivice lay next to her, but she still felt her Tag hanging around her neck. She could see a collection of soft white pads circling the gazebo, much like the one she was laying on now.

“Scootaloo?” she glanced off to the side to find Guilmon laying down next to her. He propped himself up and scooched closer to her. “You’re okay!” he smiled as he nuzzled Scootaloo.

“Hey buddy,” Scootaloo smiled as she petted Guilmon’s head. “Good to see you.”

“When you fell in the sand and wouldn’t wake up…” Guilmon trailed off, his smile vanishing and his ears drooping. “I was so scared. I thought…”

“Shh…it’s okay Guilmon,” Scootaloo whispered. “It was scary for me too. What about the others, are they—”

Scootaloo coughed before she could finish. “Are you alright?” Guilmon sat up.

“I’m fine, just a little hoarse,” Scootaloo chuckled. “Is there any water?”

“Uh-huh,” Guilmon nodded. He walked over to a nearby pitcher and poured a glass of water. “Here you go.”

“Thanks,” Scootaloo grabbed the cup with shakey hooves and brought it to her lips, taking small sips. “Anyway, what about the others? Are they okay?”

Guilmon nodded. “Yep, most of them are at the swimming hole. Except for you, me, Armadillomon and Apple Bloom.”

Scootaloo looked past Guilmon and spotted Armadillomon sitting next to Apple Bloom.

Still feeling a bit weak, Scootaloo got back on her hooves and hobbled her way over to Apple Bloom.

“How’s she doing?” Scootaloo asked.

Armadillomon glanced over to Scootaloo for a moment. “She’s breathin’ alright, and I replaced her rag recently.” Armadillomon nodded to the wet rag on Apple Bloom’s forehead, dripping with cool water.

“Any idea who rescued us?”

But before Armadillomon could say a word, Apple Bloom began to stir.

“Apple Bloom?” Scootaloo whispered, gently placing a hoof on her shoulder. “How are you feeling?”

“Mama?” Apple Bloom whispered under her breath as her eyes began to open.

“What’d she say?” Guilmon whispered.

Scootaloo shrugged before turning back to Apple Bloom. “Hey, wake up. It’s me.”

Apple Bloom managed to open her eyes. “Oh...S-Scootaloo?” she said with a small blush. “You’re okay!”

“Well duh! You didn’t think that heat would be enough to keep me down forever did you?” Scootaloo smiled.

“Oh shut up and come ‘ere,” Apple Bloom lifted her foreleg, and the two embraced.

“Hey, it sounded like you were sayin’ somethin’ when you were comin’ around,” Armadillomon said. “What did ya say?”

“Oh...nothin’,” Apple Bloom turned away with a blush. “Where are the others? Did they make it out too?”

“Guilmon, didn’t you say something about a swimming hole?” Scootaloo asked.

“Yeah, it’s right over this way,” Guilmon gestured towards a dirt path heading into the foliage.

“Alright then, let’s go,” Apple Bloom said as she pulled the cloth off her forehead.

Scootaloo walked over to where she woke up and grabbed her goggles and Digivice. As she went to leave the gazebo, her legs turned to jelly and she fell onto her side.

“Scootaloo!” Guilmon dashed over to her side.

“I’m alright. I just need to…” she trailed off as she tried to push herself back up. Try as she might though, Scootaloo couldn’t get her legs to respond, save for a few weak twitches and kicks. “Ugh! Give me a second, let me...whoa!” Scootaloo cried out as she was lifted off the ground.

“I got you Scootaloo,” Guilmon smiled as he cradled her in his arms.

“Guilmon, come on!” Scootaloo whined as she tried to squirm out of his grip. “Do you have to carry me like this? I’m not a baby!”

Apple Bloom and Armadillomon chuckled as they watched Scootaloo writhe in Guilmon's arms. “Come on, let’s go,” Armadillomon said, letting Apple Bloom lean on his shell as they walked.

After a short walk, the four of them arrived at a large swimming hole filled with crystal clear water. After taking a moment to admire its sparkling beauty, they made their way to the shallow end of the hole.

Palmon, who was soaking up moisture from a nearby patch of soil, was the first to spot them. “Hey guys, they’re up!”

Everyone turned towards the shore, smiles adorning their faces.

Sweetie Belle put a hoof to her mouth in a vain attempt to suppress a chuckle when she saw Guilmon and Scootaloo. “Aww, that’s adorable,” she gushed.

“Please don’t…” Scootaloo huffed, a blush quickly spreading across her face.

“Nice of you to join us,” Rumble said. “Come on in, the water’s great.”

Guilmon gently lowered Scootaloo into the water. Her cross expression melted away when her hooves touched the water. The water was as great as Rumble said it was, comfortably cool and refreshing. As she laid her head back against the edge of the swimming hole, Guilmon and Apple Bloom joined her. Armadillomon was content to let his two front paws soak in the water beside Apple Bloom.

“Oh, girls…” Apple Bloom smiled. “I’m so happy to see ya’ll are okay.”

“Same here Apple Bloom,” Sweetie Belle said. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon nodded in agreement.

“Hey! What about me?” Rumble threw his hooves up. “You’re happy to see the girls, but what about me?”

“Meh,” Apple Bloom shrugged.

“Oh, you all suck!” Rumble turned away with a huff, prompting laughs from all around the swimming hole.

“I’m only kiddin’ Rumble,” Apple Bloom laughed. “Seriously, I’m glad to see you’re alright too.”

Rumble huffed as he looked down into the water, but Bearmon caught the smile on his face.

“So...does anyone know how we got here?” Apple Bloom asked.

“The last thing I remember was you crawling off into the desert by yourself,” Armadillomon said. Heads turned towards Apple Bloom.

“You did what?!” Scootaloo shouted. “Why would you do that?”

Apple Bloom sank a little further into the water. “Because I...I saw my sister.”

Sweetie Belle stood up. “Applejack was here? She was really—”

“No…” Apple Bloom shook her head. “It was a mirage. I...I got so close to her. But when I reached out, my hoof just…” She squeezed her eyes shut, desperately holding back her sobs.

Everypony sank back into the water sullenly. “I’m sorry Apple Bloom,” Sweetie Belle said. “That’s...cruel.”

“I said it before…” Scootaloo growled. “Deserts were made by Discord.”

“It’s alright y'all,” Apple Bloom looked back up. “I should’ve known better.”

“Oh don’t kick yourself,” Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes. “I couldn’t tell the difference between a pile of rocks and a snow cone stand back there.”

Apple Bloom laughed. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“So, what happened before then?” Bearmon asked. “I remember hearing that you were going to search for the Crest before I blacked out.”

“Yeah, a few of us looked around the sphinx for a bit, but we couldn’t find nothin’. We must’ve looked over every inch of that darn thing, and we couldn’t see anythin’ that even looked like a Crest.”

“Nothing? So the whole thing was a wash?” Diamond Tiara asked.

Apple Bloom sighed. “I thought I saw somethin’ in the sphinx’s beard, but it was gone after the sun got in my eyes. Just another mirage I guess…”

Babs Seed looked up. “Wait, this thing...did it look like some kinda gem? Lookin’ a bit like a heart?”

“A heart?” Hawkmon sat up. “Could it have been the Crest of Love?”

Apple Bloom slowly turned to Babs. “Y-yeah! How’d you—”

“I saw it too!” Babs said, excited.

“So, the Crest WAS there after all?” Scootaloo looked around frantically. “But, did we get it? I don’t see anypony with a new Crest in their Tag!”

Everypony looked around, checking each other’s Tags. But they could only find the Crests of Courage and Friendship.

As panic started to settle in, Scootaloo stopped for a moment to take a deep breath. “Okay, don’t panic. Maybe whoever rescued us can guide us to the sphinx for a moment. We can still—”

Apple Bloom interrupted Scootaloo with a light jab to her side. “Jeez Scoots, ya almost gave me a heart attack!”

“Ow!” Scootaloo rubbed her side. “What was that for?”

“For makin’ us panic when there ain’t no reason to!” Apple Bloom sat back down in the water. “It’s alright everyone, we got the Crest.”

“Wait, what?” Scootaloo looked around. “Who has it? I don’t see it in anypony’s Tag.” Apple Bloom snickered beside her. “What?”

“Ya sure you checked everypony’s Tag?” Apple Bloom glanced at Scootaloo’s chest.

Scootaloo slowly looked down, lifting her Tag to find the Crest of Love staring back at her. “Wait...what?” Scootaloo blinked. “I have the...Crest of Love?”

“Is something wrong?” Sweetie Belle asked. “I thought you’d be more excited.”

“I don’t know. I guess I was...hoping for something cooler?” Scootaloo shrugged.

“An artifact of great power that hasn’t been seen for centuries chooses you as its bearer. And you’re complaining because it’s not ‘cool’?” Hawkmon deadpanned.

“Courage, friendship, love, sincerity, hope, knowledge, and reliability,” Sweetie Belle said. “Which one of those sound cool Scootaloo? I mean, it’s not like there’s a Crest of Scooter Stunts.”

“Alright, maybe ‘cool’ wasn’t the word I was looking for!” Scootaloo argued. “I guess I wasn’t expecting mine to be the Crest of Love.”

“Well, what were ya expectin’?” Apple Bloom asked.

Scootaloo held her mouth open for several moments as she wracked her brain for a response. “I...don’t know actually.”

“If it helps, I wasn’t exactly expectin’ to get this eitha’,” Babs Seed held up the Crest of Friendship. “I was thinkin’ I’d get somethin’ like Hope or Sincerity? I don’t know, this whole thing didn’t give us a lot of time to process this, ya know? After Rumble found the Crest of Courage, I was thinkin’: ‘Okay...this is happenin’!’”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Scootaloo nodded. “I’m just wondering why Love, out of all seven of them. I’m trying to think of what I did that would make it choose me.”

“Well, maybe it’s not something you did,” Guilmon suggested. “Maybe it’s something you’re going to do?”

Everyone looked to Guilmon, surprised at the sudden insight from the childlike dinosaur. “What?” he asked.

“I never thought of it like that,” Scootaloo said.

“Same,” Babs Seed nodded.

“You’re just full of surprises aren’t ya?” Armadillomon said.

Guilmon smiled, feeling a little embarrassed from all the praise he was getting.

“Well, sounds like everyone’s recovering nicely over here,” a voice called out.

Everyone turned to see a new Digimon hovering near the swimming hole. Apple Bloom recognized him as the figure who came to her in the desert. He was a small Digimon who looked like a large parasprite, with his round body and large insect wings. Pink fur covered most of his body, save for his feet, hands, and face. Despite his less than intimidating appearance, Apple Bloom noticed his wings looked tattered. Stitches held them together in some places. Whoever this Digimon was, it was safe to assume that he’s had more than his fair share of battles.

“Welcome back to the land of the living,” the fairy Digimon smirked. He placed a few towels and a small cooler on a nearby rock.

“Um...thanks?” Apple Bloom said. “You’re the one who saved us from the desert?”

“That I did. The name’s Piximon.”

Veemon shot up out of the water. “Wait, Piximon? As in...THE Piximon?!”

Piximon pulled a small spear from behind his back, twirling it a few times before striking a pose. “None other!” Piximon smiled.

“No. Way!” Veemon grinned. “This is amazing!”

“Uh...Veemon are you okay?” Babs Seed asked.

Veemon stopped dancing in place for a moment, noticing the looks from everyone around him. “Wait...do none of you know who Piximon is? Have you all been living under a rock?!”

Babs Seed booted up her Digivice analyzer. As she put Piximon in the crosshairs, Veemon pushed her leg down. “Put that thing away,” Veemon chided. “I can tell you more about Piximon than that thing ever could.”

“Oh boy, here we go…” Bearmon buried his face into his paw.

“Piximon helped forge some of the greatest fighters in the Digital World. The Leomon of the East Wind Pride, Grademon the Wanderer, Mistymon the Battlemage. Piximon trained them all! They say he’s even helped train past generations of DigiDestined. I’ve always wanted to meet him!”

“Sheesh, if you love him so much why don’t you marry him,” Babs Seed muttered.

Veemon snapped out of his reverie. “You want me to...what?”

“Marry him,” Babs Seed repeated. Veemon stared at her. “You know...marriage?”

“Marriage, what’s that? Sounds like some kind of steak.”

“The heck is steak?”

“Well, thank you so much for savin’ us back there Mr. Piximon,” Apple Bloom said. “It’s a real honor to be rescued by someone so famous.”

“Oh, well thank you,” Piximon bowed. “I would like to say the feeling is mutual, being able to help such esteemed heroes like the DigiDestined. But...that would be a lie.”

Apple Bloom heard a record scratch somewhere in the back of her mind. “Beg yer pardon?”

“The DigiDestined are heroes who will work to bring light and peace to the Digital World. They face every challenge with every bit of their wits, cunning, and strength,” Piximon said. “From what I’ve seen so far, you have escaped from every obstacle through sheer dumb luck.”

“Please, dumb luck has nothing to do with it,” Rumble scoffed. “Sure, we’ve gotten into some tough scraps but we came out alright. Right Bearmon?”

“Well...yeah?” Bearmon hesitantly answered.

“We work pretty well with our partners,” Scootaloo gestured to Guilmon. “Isn’t that what being DigiDestined is all about?”

Piximon turned to Scootaloo. “A fair point,” he nodded. “But answer me this: how well do you work with each other?” Piximon gestured to the other ponies in the water with his spear.

Scootaloo followed the tip of Piximon’s spear. She knew that she worked well with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. But, everypony else? She considered Babs Seed a friend but barely knew her save for what she heard from Apple Bloom. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon may have stopped being complete jerks, but they didn’t hang out that often. And Rumble… he was always just there.

Scootaloo thought back on the last couple of weeks since they arrived in the Digital World. She realized that aside from working to help set up camp, there were few times where they worked together. The last few days, in particular, consisted of a lot of stress and arguing.

“Yeah, I figured as much,” Piximon nodded at the silence. “And I will admit that so far, your partners have done pretty well for themselves here on Server. But I still stand by what I said; sheer dumb luck. How long did you lot spend on File Island before coming here? How long were you in your Rookie Forms?”

The Digimon looked to one another.

“Well…” Guilmon began. “Scootaloo helped me digivolve to Guilmon when we met.”

“Same,” Armadillomon and Veemon answered.

“A couple of weeks while I was helping Elecmon at Primary Village?” Bearmon guessed.

“Most Digimon spend at least a year on File Island, training and absorbing data,” Piximon said. “The only reason you've survived this long is that you have a shortcut most Digimon don’t.”

Bearmon bit his lip, thinking about his fight with Ogremon when they first came to Server.

“So we don’t always get along, so what?” Diamond Tiara shrugged. “Nopony’s perfect.”

“Have you heard some of the stories about the generations of DigiDestined who came before you?” Piximon asked. “Not a single one of them tells the story of ONE DigiDestined. There is always a group of them, whether it’s three, seven, or whole scores of them. Now, why do you suppose that is?”

Diamond Tiara was quite stymied by that and couldn’t come up with a suitable response.

“Alright, here’s the deal,” Piximon fluttered around the swimming hole. “You all came here to fight dark forces, some evil mastermind, or something of the sort. But, the further you go into the Server continent, the more powerful the Digimon become.”

“Wait, wait, wait!” Sweetie Belle put a hoof up. “How do you know how well we did in all our past battles here?”

“That’s not important,” Piximon brushed her off.

“I disagree!”

“My point is that you aren’t prepared for whatever comes next,” Piximon continued. “But if you allow me to train you then it’ll at least put the odds better in your favor. What do you say?”

Veemon’s eyes lit up. “For real?” he squealed. “Uh, yea—”

Babs Seed stuck a hoof into Veemon’s mouth. “I’m gonna have ta ask ya to hold the hay up and dock your hype train inta Chillsville. Don’t ya think this is somethin’ we should discuss as a team? Everypony huddle up.”

Everyone waded over towards the shore and gathered around.

“What’s there to discuss?” Veemon asked. “THE Piximon is offering to train US to be better fighters. Do you have any idea what some Digimon would do for a chance like this?”

“Do you know what his training is like?” Babs asked. “How intense is it? What’ll he have us do?”

“Well, I don’t know. But given how strong Digimon become afterward, I’d imagine it’d be pretty intense.”

“Do you think intense training is such a good idea? Not a day after what we went through?” Diamond Tiara asked.

“Maybe?” Rumble shrugged.

Everyone looked at Rumble. “Did you lose your marbles in that desert Rumble?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Think about it. The Digimon here are much more experienced than on File Island. Bearmon, I know you and Veemon have been doing a bit of sparing in your spare time. But I still remember how Ogremon almost destroyed you.”

“Don’t forget Sandiramon,” Sweetie Belle shuddered. “That was one tough snake.”

“Hey, we came out okay in all those battles, right?” Terriermon smiled. “I don’t think we’re doing so bad.”

“Well…” Hawkmon looked down. “I’m starting to think so far we really have been lucky.”

“What do you mean?” Scootaloo asked.

“Sandiramon was an Ultimate level Digimon. And Ogremon was quite strong for a Champion level. Both of those battles involved Veedramon. When backed into a corner, they're said to be stronger than Ultimate Level Digimon."

Veemon beamed at this.

“Well, what about the Pteramon and Airdramon?” Diamond Tiara asked. “You helped win some of those battles.”

Hawkmon nodded. “Yes, but the Pteramon were Armor level; stronger than Rookie but not quite Champion level. And as for Airdramon, we were lucky because it was only one of them. Usually, Airdramon travel in flocks.”

Everyone looked to one another as Hawkmon’s words sank in.

“Uh...I reckon we wouldn’t have lasted long if a whole flock of them found us,” Armadillomon piped in. “We were about ready to keel over right there and then!”

“Well, when ya put it that way…” Apple Bloom looked down into the water. “It might not be a bad idea to let Piximon help us.”

“We need all the help we can get,” Scootaloo nodded.

“Well, if it helps us get stronger...I suppose it wouldn’t hurt,” Palmon shrugged. Everyone nodded in reluctant agreement.

“Alright, we’ll do it!” Apple Bloom nodded.

“Excellent!” Piximon reached into the cooler he brought and pulled out a small bottle of yellow liquid. “Here, drink this,” he said as he tossed a bottle to Apple Bloom.

“What is it?”

“Something to help with your recovery,” Piximon said as he handed out a bottle to everyone. “You just spent a couple of days in the desert. I’ve done everything I can to help you recover. But you’re probably still feeling the effects of dehydration and exhaustion. This’ll help fix that, replenish your electrolytes and all that other good stuff.”

Scootaloo opened the bottle and took a sniff. It had a distinct citrusy smell, and a bit of a fizz. Shrugging, she tilted the bottle back and downed the contents. “Not bad,” Scootaloo nodded.

A few minutes after everyone finished their drinks, Scootaloo felt the effects. The feeling began to return to her legs, and she hardly felt sore anymore. She was also more awake and had a bit of a spring in her step compared to when she woke up. Judging from the smiles from everyone else, whatever was in that bottle was working for them too.

“Alright then, everybody ready?” Piximon asked. “Good, then let’s move out!”

Piximon led everyone out of the swimming hole, and down the dirt road. As they marched on, something caught Terriermon’s eye.

“Hey, check it out,” Terriermon pointed towards the opposite end of the path. Everyone was shocked to see the desert beyond the treeline.

“What the…” Apple Bloom trailed off, staring at the distant sphinx. “Are we still in the desert?”

“Well, yes and no,” Piximon said. “Right now, we’re all in my dimension, protected by my magic.” Piximon fluttered up to the treeline, where the ferns meet the sand. He tapped the air with his spear, revealing a shimmering barrier. “Geographically, yes we’re in the desert. But to anyone outside this barrier, this place may as well be a stretch of sand and rock.”

“If you say so,” Apple Bloom said.

“Alright, no more detours!” Piximon ordered. “Let’s keep moving! Hut hut!”

Piximon continued to lead them further down the dirt road, shouting for some of them to pick up their pace.

“So uh, where exactly will we be training?” Babs Seed asked as they reached the end of the road.

Piximon smiled and gestured upwards with his spear. Everyone looked up to see a staircase at the end of the road wrapping around a mountain that pierced the clouds. Some could make out a large building resting at the peak of the mountain, shrouded by wisps of white.

“Oh, you have got to be kidding me,” Silver Spoon balked.

“You mean we gotta climb all the way up there?!” Apple Bloom cried out.

“Heh, no problem!” Rumble smirked as he spread his wings. “See you suckers at the top!” Rumble launched himself into the air, soaring up the first few steps. Before he could get any higher though, he felt a strange tingling sensation in his wings. As he turned to investigate, he lost his air and tumbled back down the steps.

“Ow...ow ow ow!” Rumble whined. “What the heck was that?”

“Um...Rumble?” Bearmon stuttered.

Rumble looked back to find everyone staring at him in shock. “What?” he asked. “Do I have something on me?”

“No, that’s kinda the problem,” Babs Seed said, staring at Rumble.

“What are you talking about?”

Bearmon gestured to Rumble’s back with a shaky paw. Rumble felt along his back, running a hoof from neck to tail, but couldn’t feel anything.

Rumble’s heart stopped for a moment. He couldn’t feel anything along his back, two very specific things seemed to be missing. He looked down at his back, and let out a high pitched scream at what he saw.

“My wings! Where are my wings?!” Rumble shrieked at his barren back.

“Scootaloo!” Apple Bloom cried out.

“What?” Scootaloo whipped around. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were both staring at her back. When she felt a tingling in her wings, she looked back in time to see both her wings vanish in a glitch of data. “Hey! What gives?!” Scootaloo shouted in a panic.

“Are you two done?” Piximon asked.

“What did you do?” Rumble asked as he tried to slow his panicked breath.

“I took your wings away. Was that not obvious?” Piximon deadpanned. “Don’t worry, this is only a temporary setup. During my training, there will be absolutely no flying!”

“Then what about Hawkmon?” Rumble pointed to the Digimon in question.

“Maybe because they’re also his arms?” Diamond Tiara responded wryly. “Come on, use some common sense.”

“Oh...right,” Rumble slouched. “Sorry about that, I guess I’m a little frazzled. What with my wings MAGICALLY DISAPPEARING ON ME!”

“Alright, alright,” Diamond Tiara relented. “Sheesh, take a chill pill.”

“No one said you were lacking in the observation department,” Piximon said. “Hawkmon’s wings are also his arms. Taking those away would make his training more difficult than it already will be.”

Everyone got a little nervous after hearing that.

“That being said...” Piximon continued as he hovered up to Hawkmon’s face. “IF he does fly at any point during his time here, he is going to be very, very...VERY sorry. Do I make myself clear, featherhead?”

“Y-yes sir! Crystal!” Hawkmon gulped.

“Goodie!” Piximon smiled. “Now then, enough chit-chat. Everyone upstairs, today! Let’s go!”

“It’s gonna be okay Rumble,” Bearmon put a paw on his partner’s shoulder. “I’m sure you’ll do fine, even without your wings.”

“Not like mine were gonna do me much good anyway,” Scootaloo grumbled. This prompted a few awkward glances from her friends. “Girls, you’re not saying anything, but I can still hear you. Please don’t turn this into a big deal right now. I’m fine. Let’s not turn this into a ‘pity Scootaloo fest’, alright?” Scootaloo looked back with a small smile.

“Well...alright then,” Apple Bloom nodded before heading to the stairs.

As everyone made their way to the base of the stairway, Diamond Tiara quietly hurried to Scootaloo’s side. “One day,” she whispered.

“Huh?” Scootaloo turned to Diamond Tiara.

“You’ll get up in the sky one day, I’m sure.”

Scootaloo was at a loss for words. Here was the pony who at one point made her question her value as a Pegasus pony. And now she was offering words of encouragement?

“You...you mean it?” Scootaloo asked, getting a little misty-eyed.

“Well, yeah. I mean, even if it’s not your wings that get you up there, I’m sure you’ll concoct some crazy way to do it. I already know how you got to Cloudsdale for that class report.”

Scootaloo nearly tripped on herself. “Wha-what are you talking about?” Scootaloo chuckled nervously. “I don’t know anything about a giant slingshot, you’re crazy!”

“Right…” Diamond Tiara smirked.

Silver Spoon chuckled at the exchange. But then she looked back up the mountain and felt her heart sink to her gut.

“You sure there’s not a service elevator we can take or something?” Silver Spoon asked.

“Oh come on silly Sil, moumentai,” Terriermon hopped up the first few steps. “Sure, it looks tough right now, but so was the desert. And we made it through alright, didn’t we?”

“Oh, you mean the desert we almost died trying to get through?” Silver Spoon deadpanned.

“Yeah…okay maybe that’s not the best example. My point is that ya can’t just not face a challenge because it looks daunting. Sure, it’s a tall mountain. But come on, they’re only stairs.”

“Only stairs huh? Did you lose count?” Silver Spoon asked her currently wheezing partner. “Well, I didn’t! Three thousand five hundred ninety-five, three thousand five hundred ninety-six, three thousand five hundred ninety-seven, and we made it!”

“Okay...I’ve been wrong...before...whew!” Terriermon wheezed.

All around them ponies and Digimon were on the ground, gasping for air as they waited for everyone else. The next one to make it up was Veemon, who looked all the chipper despite the long workout.

“Whew!” Veemon stretched. “That climb up the mountain was exhilarating, wasn’t it B?” He turned around, but the city filly was nowhere in sight. “B? Babs are you alright?” He called back down the stairs.

A few moments later, an amber hoof shakingly reached up the edge of the last step. An exhausted Babs Seed was pulled up behind it, in a manner akin to a zombie dragging itself from the grave.

“We gotta go back,” Babs wheezed. “I’m pretty sure...I dropped a lung.”

Sweetie Belle, Diamond Tiara, and their respective partners were the last to join them. After a few minutes of recovery, Diamond Tiara was the first to speak up.

“Why is it...so hard...to breath?” she asked.

“Yes, the air gets a little thin up here,” Piximon commented. “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.”

As everyone sat and recovered, Scootaloo took in the large building in front of her. It reminded her of pictures of ancient Eastern Equestrian architecture. It was a large building made of wood, save for the walls, which were made of paper lined with wooden frames. They almost looked like a bunch of sliding doors stitched together to form a wall.

“Welcome to my dojo,” he said as he led them inside. The term “inside” was subjective though. Beyond the doors was a well-kept garden, open to the mountain air. A wooden walkway surrounded the garden, a pavilion protecting it from any rain. There were a few small cherry trees in full bloom, a few patches of flowers, and a small koi pond. There was also a large statue of Piximon in the center. “So, what do you think?”

“Impressive,” Hawkmon nodded.

Piximon led them to a section of the walkway lined with several rooms. Some of the ponies stopped to admire the simple, yet beautiful designs of nature on the paper walls. Images of trees, ponds, and lotus flowers swirled over the walls and sliding doors to create a mural. Piximon opened one of the rooms’ sliding doors to reveal a dark, dusty room. “Well, I’m glad you do, because this will be your first task. You must scrub the walkway surrounding the garden, as well as dust the rooms along here before dinner.”

“Wait, what?” Diamond Tiara scowled. “I thought we were training.”

“Yeah, no offense, but we didn’t climb all the way up here to do chores,” Rumble argued.

Piximon sighed. “Well, let me make this very simple. You can either clean this up or sleep in it. Because that’s where your beds are going to go.” He gestured to the empty rooms along the hall. He twirled his spear, and a series of cleaning supplies appeared before everyone. “I’d get started if I were you.”

Everyone groaned as Piximon left, but picked up sponges, brooms and feather dusters.

“Stay. In. The. Garden!” Rumble growled, brushing another collection of cherry blossom leaves into the garden.

“I never thought something so pretty could make such a mess,” Bearmon sighed, leaning on his broom. The work itself was tedious enough, but the high altitude made everyone tire easily. And that made some ponies a little moody.

“I thought we were supposed to be getting help from this guy,” Babs Seed angrily scrubbed the floor. “Instead he’s got US cleanin’ his place! Why do you like this guy so much V?”

“I’m not one to say there ain’t no value in a hard day’s work,” Apple Bloom said as she dusted one of the rooms. “But I don’t see how this helps us’.”

“Hey, I’m sure this is all a valuable part of our training,” Veemon said.

“And how’s that?”

Veemon stood with his mouth open for a few moments. “Maybe...there’s a kind of fighting style that uses the movements we’re using to clean?” He picked up the rag he was holding and made the circular motions he was using to dust as though he were in a fight. “That makes sense, right?”

Babs Seed raised her eyebrow.

“Yeah, that's stupid isn’t it?” Veemon slumped forward and got back to dusting.

“Hey, Armadillomon?” Terriermon called out, picking up a wet, soapy sponge. “Wanna race?”

Armadillomon watched Terriermon move to one side of the hall. Placing his sponge in front of him, he crouched into a racing position. “Sure, why not?” Armadillomon smiled. He picked up his sponge and took a position next to Terriermon.

“On your mark, get set, GO!” Terriermon shouted. The two raced down the hall, leaving a trail of sudsy water in their wake.

“Hehe, that’s a good idea,” Scootaloo nodded. She picked up four brushes and secured them to her hooves. She got into a racing position near the start of the soap trail, a cocky grin on her face. A few seconds later, she leaned forward, skidding forwards a few inches before coming to a stop.

“What the…” Scootaloo squinted forward. She kept her legs rigid as she willed her wings to push her forward. “Come on, come on!” She whipped her head around. “What’s the matter with—” she started. But her eyes fell across nothing but her bare back, not a feather in sight. “Oh, right...pony feathers,” she muttered.

Hours later, the space was clean. After being given a light dinner, everyone limped towards their rooms.

“So...sore,” Sweetie Belle moaned.

“I’m gonna be feelin’ this in the mornin’,” Apple Bloom winced as she stopped to massage her foreleg.

Silver Spoon opened the door to the room she and Terriermon helped clean. In the center of the room where two thin mattresses, which Piximon had called futons, a blanket, and a pillow.

“He expects us to sleep on these things?” Silver Spoon whined as she limped over to one of the futons and collapsed. “We’re pretty much sleeping on the floor! How am I supposed to get a good night’s sleep like…” Silver Spoon’s complaint trailed off into a snore.

Diamond Tiara slid the door shut as Terriermon gently laid a blanket onto Silver Spoon. Everyone followed suit, going to a room and collapsing onto a futon, looking forward to a good night’s sleep.

The sound of a gong shocked Babs Seed out of dreamland and into the waking world.

“Alright everyone, up and at em’!” Piximon shouted outside.

Babs Seed checked her Digivice. It was six o’clock in the morning. She groaned as she pulled the blanket back over her head. Babs considered herself a lot of things, but a morning pony was NOT one of them.

The door to her room slid open, letting a dim ray of sunlight in. “Come on you two, let’s go let’s go!” Piximon shouted. Babs heard Veemon pick himself up and quickly shuffle out the door. Then she felt the blunt end of Piximon’s spear poking her side. “That means you too. Up! Arise! Vamanos!”

“No!” Babs groaned, blindly waved her hoof around. “Ten more minutes.”

“Alright then,” Piximon sighed. The fluttering of wings announced his exit.

“Glad you understand,” Babs Seed smiled as her eyes drifted shut again. Before she could get comfortable though, she heard him hovering inside her room again. It sounded like he was carrying something heavy, but she couldn’t quite put her hoof on what. The next moment, she felt water dumped all over her. She leaped out of bed with a loud squeal. When she finally landed, her whole body shivered as water and ice cubes dripped out of her soaked mane and coat.

“Oh hey, looks like you’re awake now,” Piximon smirked, swinging an empty bucket back and forth. “Hang your futon out to dry and you might be ready in time for breakfast.”

“Ugh, I could NOT get comfortable last night,” Rumble groaned in the hallway. “It felt so...weird without my wings.”

“Tell me about it,” Scootaloo said, sounding like a zombie. “Every time I turned onto my side, I kept expecting to feel my wings against the blanket or something. Instead, there was just...nothing.”

Babs Seed trotted into the dining room, leaving a small trail of dripping water in her wake.

“What happened to you?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Don’t ask,” Babs grumbled while going to the last open spot. She found herself facing down a small bowl of oatmeal and milk, just like everyone else. “Seriously? This is it?”

“Hey, the last thing you want to do before training is eat something big,” Piximon said. “Anyway, the sooner you finish up, the sooner we can get started.”

After breakfast, Piximon had everyone do a variety of exercises. A few laps around the mountain path, some pushups, sit-ups and stretches. As everyone caught their breath, Piximon tapped his spear on the ground.

“Alright, listen close,” Piximon announced. “For this next part, we’ll be dividing into two groups: Digimon and ponies.”

“Wait, we’re gonna be separated for this next part?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“For the rest of the day,” Piximon confirmed. “You’ll each have your own training to attend to, and then we’ll reconvene here for the evening jog and dinner.”

“Wait, you said we were going to be training separate for the rest of the day?” Rumble asked. “How do you plan to manage that? I didn’t see anyone else here.”

Piximon smiled to himself, then twirled his spear in a series of complex motions. At the end, his body began to glitch for a moment. Everyone watched in awe as the glitched turned into an outline of Piximon, separated from him, then resolidified into an exact copy of Piximon.

“Alright, have them wrap up before sundown,” Piximon said to his doppelganger, who gave a sharp salute.

“Alright, you heard the handsome devil,” the Piximon clone said. “All Digimon this way. Come on, let’s go!”

As the Digimon were marched away, the ponies followed Piximon towards the front of the dojo. He led them to a series of flower beds leading towards the front doors.

“Alright then, your next task is to take care of the weeds in the beds here,” he gestured around the flower beds. The garden looked like a battle for territory as the ugly weeds tried to choke the colorful flowers.

“Yikes, when was the last time you took care of this place?” Silver Spoon asked.

“That’s not the question you should be asking. What you should be asking is, ‘Where are the gardening tools Piximon?’ To which the answer is: right over that way.” Everyone looked to the small, run-down gardening shed he was pointing to. “Just remember to remove them from the root. They don’t like being pulled at.”

“Wait, what do you mean by that?” Apple Bloom asked.

“I’ll be back in a couple of hours, do be careful,” Piximon said as he fluttered away.

Everypony grabbed a gardening tool of their choice and got to work. As Scootaloo was busy cutting a few weeds something poked her shoulder.

“What is it Sweetie Belle?” she asked in annoyance.

“Uh, I’m over here,” Sweetie Belle, said waving a bit further away.

Scootaloo then slowly turned around and saw one of the weeds had extended to massive size. She screamed as it grabbed her hoof and suspended her in the air, hanging upside down. “Somepony help me!”

Sweetie Belle grabbed a pair of cutters and went on the attack. “I got your back!” As she was trying to cut through the weed, another one was constantly tripping her up. Whenever she got close, it would drag her back a few feet. “Why you stupid little…” She then turned her attention to the weed tripping her up and mauled it with her cutters. She then turned her attention back to the weed holding Scootaloo.

Sadly though, those two seemed to have it easy, everyone else had their own issues to deal with. Silver Spoon was trying to get her sunhat from a pair of weeds that were playing a game of Monkey in the Middle with her. Or Pony in the Middle as the case was. Diamond Tiara was trying to cut down weeds but they kept grabbing her tools and tossing them out of the garden. When she ran out of tools, they grabbed Diamond Tiara and tossed HER out of the garden. Babs Seed had it worst of all though. She was tied up and the weeds were… tickling her hooves incessantly. She was laughing to the point of tears. Thankfully, Rumble was able to free her from her torment.

“Come on, let’s do some weed whacking!” He said as he handed Babs a huge pair of cutters. The two then turned to the giant weeds approaching them. One of them picked up a stick and twirled it around like a sword. While one vine leveled the stick at them, another rose beside it, beckoning the ponies to attack. With a fierce battle cry, Babs Seed and Rumble charged into the weeds.

Meanwhile, Piximon II led the Digimon towards another section of the dojo. He led them into a room that did not feature the paper sliding doors like the rest of the place. Instead, it only had a few windows with thicker paper shades. The room itself was empty, save for a rubber mat that covered the entire floor, and some candles that lit the room.

“You all know how to handle yourself in a fight, that much is clear,” Piximon said as he shut the large wooden door. “But tell me, where did these fights take place?”

Hawkmon put a feather to his beak. “Most of them took place in the open, outdoors, we had room to move around.”

“Except for the fight with Sandiramon,” Bearmon pointed out. “That took place in a cave, remember?”

“Well...that cave we fought in was still pretty open,” Palmon rubbed her arm, still sore from the morning workout.

“So in other words, the fights were more or less on a fair playing field?” Piximon asked.

“More or less,” Veemon shrugged.

“Yeah, I figured as much. Well, answer me this: what do you do if your opponent meets you on a battleground that benefits him more than you?” Piximon asked. He flicked his staff, and a breeze shut the windows. The thick shaders suffocated the incoming light and dimmed the room. “Or if he had some means to rob you of one of your senses?” he added. Another flick of his spear and another breeze extinguished many of the candles in the room. “Specifically, the sense you rely on the most.”

“U-Um…” Bearmon stuttered.

Piximon picked up the last lit candle, bringing it up to his lips with a maniacal grin. “Why don’t we find out?” he asked before blowing out the candle and letting it fall to the floor.

Everyone glanced at the candle as it hit the ground. When they looked back up, Piximon was gone.

“Gah!” Bearmon looked around frantically. “Where did he go?”

Everyone looked around the room, but could hardly see anything. The light that streamed through the window shades was a sickly yellow glow, and only lit up small parts of the room. The wind blew the trees outside, creating shadows that danced around the dark arena.

“Yes, where did I go?” a voice said from behind. Everyone whipped around but found nothing. “Oh where oh where has Piximon gone?” he sang out quietly, this time from above them.

Bearmon began to grow restless. “Guys...I don’t know if I can do this,” he whimpered.

“Stay cool Bearmon!” Veemon said, his eyes scanning the room. “I know you don’t like the dark, but if we stick together—”

“No...I-I can’t do this,” Bearmon began to hyperventilate. Before anyone could stop him, he ran for the direction of the door, into the blackness. A moment later, they heard the sound of someone pulling on the door. “It’s locked! We’re trapped in here!” he cried. “Wait...did you hear something?”

The sound of fighting and Bearmon’s high pitched squeals filled the room for a few moments. Then, everyone heard something large hitting the floor.

“Bearmon?” Veemon called out. “You uh...okay buddy?”

Bearmon’s cap was flung from the direction he fled in, coming to rest by Guilmon’s foot.

“One down, six to go,” Piximon chuckled.

The remaining Digimon stood back to back, glancing at every shadow that moved. “Here I am!” Piximon whispered from behind Veemon. Veemon spun on his heel and did a high kick in the direction of the voice. But his kick connected with the back of Hawkmon’s head instead, knocking him out cold.

“Oh shoot!” Veemon grabbed his head, clawing at non-existent hair. “Sorry, Hawkmon! I didn’t mean it…”

“Well, that’s embarrassing,” Piximon taunted from the far left of the room.

“PYRO SPHERE!” Guilmon launched a fireball towards the corner of the room, lighting it up for a moment. In the second before the flame vanished, a small shadow darted towards the other side.

“I understand that this is a fight,” Piximon sighed. “But I would appreciate it if you would try to avoid setting my home on fire.”

“Oh…” Guilmon’s ears dropped. “Sorry, Pixim—”

Piximon darted out of the shadows, slamming into Guilmon’s gut. The second he doubled over, Piximon moved behind him, striking the back of his head with the blunt end of his spear. He then retreated into the shadows before Guilmon hit the floor.

“Apology accepted,” Piximon said. “For Azulongmon’s sake, I only made it difficult to SEE me! You still have four good senses, do you not? Use them if you want to walk out of here instead of crawling out.”

Veemon took a deep breath and focussed. He could see the occasional shadow flitting across the walls. Or hear the fluttering of Piximon’s wings. The only problem was that they moved so fast, it was hard to pinpoint where he was. Then Veemon began to notice a pattern in his movements. He would dart to the far east, before fluttering above them. From there, he would get close to the south wall near the door for a moment. Then, he would move to the far western corner, close to the ceiling. As Veemon planned his attack, he felt the tip of Piximon’s spear touch his neck.

“You were thinking too long,” Piximon teased. He then spun his spear around and knocked Veemon out cold.

The ponies spent a couple of hours cutting down all the weeds toying with them. By the end, they were all collapsed on the ground, completely exhausted. The gardens were a mess of broken weeds and thrown soil.

"Had enough?" Apple Bloom glared at the weeds.

One of the defeated weeds pulled a white cloth from out of nowhere and weakly waved it in the breeze.

"Good!" Apple Bloom sighed as she collapsed next to her friends.

Piximon came back soon after and saw that the work had been completed. “Well done ponies. I do believe you’ve earned some lunch.”

“We’ll be...right there,” Apple Bloom said between pants. The ponies were able to pick themselves up after a bit and were treated to a few simple sandwiches.

After they finished their lunch Piximon began leading them to a new area. “So where are we headin’ to anyways?” Babs asked

“We’re heading towards the playground.” Everypony's expressions perked up. After the long day they had, some time on the swings or going down some slides sounded perfect. As they arrived, however, all that joy quickly evaporated. What they saw wasn’t a park filled with swing sets, slides and other fun commodities. Rather it was a large, complex obstacle course.

The course sat in a triangular area, which was divided into three different areas. In one area, a series of towers stood over a pool of water. They were connected by bridges, suspended platforms, and rope ladders. Another area had a large web of rope tunnels crisscrossing over one another. The tunnels weaved together into a maze suspended by a series of poles. The third area was a mud pit with a maze of dark tunnels intersecting with each other and meeting in the middle. In the center, a pillar with a keypad and a lockbox stood tall. In the center of the triangle sat a solitary tower with a golden brazier at the top.

“This is the playground?” Diamond asked, a little appalled at the sight. "This is insane!"

Scootaloo stared at the section with the towers and platforms. "I don't think I've ever heard of a playground that had its own high ropes course!"

"Everyone listen close!" Piximon ordered. "There are three keys hidden in the playground, one in each section. Your task is to traverse the obstacles in each section and find them. Once you have them, bring them to the base of the tower, and put them in their respective locks."

“Well that doesn’t sound so bad,” Scootaloo smiled.

“One more thing. There will also be a time limit. You will have ten minutes to finish. If you fail to get all three keys, you'll have to try again tomorrow.” Piximon hovered towards a large hourglass.

“Me and my big mouth,” Scootaloo groaned.

“Everyone get ready!” Piximon pointed to the starting line of the obstacle course and everypony went over to it. “Now you will begin on three. One. Two. Three!” he shouted as he flipped the hourglass.

On Piximon's signal, the ponies split up towards different sections of the playground. Apple Bloom scampered over to the rope tunnel maze, crawling in through one of the entrances. After taking a few turns, she thought she could see a key hanging from deep within the web of tunnels. As she crawled to an intersection, she spotted Scootaloo and Babs Seed moving across one of the bridges in the high ropes course. They stopped for a moment to wave to Apple Bloom. As she lifted a hoof to reply, the bridge that they stood on flipped over, sending them plummeting into the water.

“Oh, sweet Celestia!” Scootaloo cried out as she flailed above the water. “It’s freezing!” The two waterlogged ponies paddled to shore and shook themselves dry.

“I’m gonna have hypothermia before the end of today!” Babs Seed shivered.

Everypony else struggled through various portions of the course. Some got tangled in the rope maze, others got lost in the dark tunnels, and a few more were flung off the tower obstacles. Ten minutes later, a loud foghorn sounded over the course.

“That’s time!” Piximon shouted through a megaphone. “Everyone out!”

Everyone crawled out of the obstacle course, out of breath and covered in sweat.

“Well, that was a big bust,” Sweetie Belle frowned. “Hey Scootaloo, how are you holding up? You look like you and Babs took a pretty big tumble back there.”

Scootaloo wasn’t listening though. She was too busy watching Diamond Tiara trying to drag Silver Spoon out of the muddy tunnels. “I never thought I’d see this,” she whispered to herself with a smile as they slipped on each other.

“Really Scoots?” Apple Bloom glared. “That’s really petty of you.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Scootaloo sighed before walking over to help the two clumsy fillies.

After a short break, everyone was reunited with their equally exhausted partners. After their evening jog and a short dinner, they dragged their sore, battered bodies to bed.

“Ten, eleven, twelve,” Piximon counted as everyone did crunches the next morning.

“So, he had you all fight him in the dark?” Rumble asked Bearmon as he pulled himself up. “But, you’re not afraid of the dark are you?”

“Well...it’s not so much the dark itself,” Bearmon said as he raised and lowered himself with Rumble. “I’m more scared of things moving around in the dark.”

“Yeah, Elecmon’s ghost stories would usually do a number on you,” Veemon said.

“Not just Elecmon. You would always make scary noises near my bed the same night he told them!” Bearmon glared at Veemon.

Babs Seed stopped doing crunches for a moment to glare at Veemon. “Seriously?”

“Uh...maybe?” Veemon sweated. “Oh come on, you knew I was just playing with you, right? It was all in good fun.”

“I wasn’t laughing,” Bearmon huffed.

“Hey, less talking more crunching!” Piximon ordered. “Twenty-nine, thirty, thirty-one…”

Back at the playground the ponies were once again tasked with grabbing the keys. Scootaloo tried to conquer the high ropes course once again. She made some decent progress, making it halfway through the course. She looked to the tallest tower as she climbed up a rope ladder of an adjacent one. She could see the key dangling in the wind at the top.

"Almost there!" Scootaloo grinned. As if to dash that hope, however, the rope ladder began to spin around the tower. She managed to hang on for a decent while before finally being flung off into the water. She crawled out of the water shivering once again and completely dejected.

Scootaloo looked to the other areas to see if anypony else had any better luck; though it seemed to be more of the same. Apple Bloom was lost in the rope maze and looked a bit dizzy from trying to find her way. She could also hear Sweetie Belle’s groans of frustration from the dark tunnels.

Diamond Tiara had told them about the dark tunnel maze over dinner last night. The maze itself wasn’t that complex, in fact there were several paths to reach the center. The challenge was the lockbox in the center. The keypad demanded a four-digit code to open it. Silver Spoon noted that she stumbled on a panel that flashed a number on the way to the center.

“Alright, time’s up!” Piximon shouted, snapping Scootaloo from her train of thought.

“I thought I had that key for a moment!” Scootaloo groaned as she joined the others.

“He has us cleaning the place up, and then he puts us through somethin' like that?” Apple Bloom sighed. "I'm sure the Digimon don't hafta put up with stuff like this."

Armadillomon was on the ground completely out of breath. “This is ridiculous!”

He and the other Digimon were currently in a game of extreme dodgeball. Piximon was on one side of the room with several automatic dodgeball launchers. All around him, the other Digimon were ducking and diving to avoid getting slammed.

“I bet our partners don’t have to put up with stuff like this,” Armadillomon panted.

“Given the state they were in last night, I'd say Piximon's not going easy on them either,” Hawkmon said. A red dodgeball slammed him in the gut, knocking him back several feet and knocking him out.

“Less talking, more dodging!” Terriermon said while using his ears to vault himself into the air.

The gong sounded off once again, signaling the start of another day of rigorous training. Everyone filed out of their rooms, wincing as they felt the aches and pains of the past few days. Babs Seed stopped for a moment to stretch her legs. That's when she noticed Piximon lingering by Rumble and Bearmon’s room.

“Let’s go! Time’s a-wasting!” Piximon shouted into the room.

Babs noticed a bucket of ice water off towards the side of the walkway. And when Piximon fluttered out of the room without Rumble and Bearmon, she knew what was about to happen. She continued doing her stretches, bringing her hind leg around to knock over the bucket of water.

“Oh no, I’m such a klutz!” Babs Seed said in robotic panic.

“What happened here?” Piximon sighed.

“I...I don’t know. I was just stretching, I didn’t even see that. I’m really sorry Piximon.”

Piximon smiled. “It’s alright, accidents happen. Grab a mop from the closet and clean it up before breakfast, it shouldn’t take too long. We don’t want it soaking into the boards and leaving a stain.”

“Of course,” Babs Seed nodded. As she turned towards the broom closet, she allowed herself to have a small, triumphant grin. While she grabbed a mop, Piximon dug through a chest until he pulled out a megaphone. “Um...wha-what’re ya gonna do with that?”

Piximon fluttered out of the closet and back over to Rumble’s room. He hung back by the door, brought the megaphone up in front of him and switched it on. He let it run for a few moments, letting it drone on with its electronic whine. Then he pulled an air horn out from behind his back, brought it up to the megaphone mouthpiece, and squeezed it.

Still feeling a ringing in his ears, Rumble continued to push through the rope tunnel maze. He had made it far ahead of Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle and had begun to see it as a race. As he got closer to the key his determination grew larger and larger. Looking to his side towards the high ropes course, he saw Scootaloo and Babs falling into the water again. He chuckled a bit at their expense before managing to nab the key.

“All right, I got one!” Rumble said, beaming with pride. He then turned around to try and find his way back. Unfortunately, getting back out was about as challenging as getting to the key. Cursing himself for not paying attention, he darted through tunnel after tunnel. He managed to pass by Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom twice before time was up. Piximon guided the lost souls out of the web of ropes and sweat. Sweetie and Apple Bloom affixed Rumble with harsh glares as they left.

Before they left the playground, Piximon lifted his spear. The rope maze was engulfed in light for a moment. Once the light faded the ropes were completely rearranged.

“Hey, what’s the big idea? I was able to clear that maze!” Rumble whined.

“Exactly,” Piximon said. “It wouldn't be much of a challenge if you got through based on memory alone. That goes for every challenge. If you manage to finish one part, but the rest of the keys aren’t gathered, I will rearrange the areas you were able to beat.”

“That sounds pretty backward to me.” Silver Spoon said with a hint of bitterness.

“It’s not supposed to be easy. This course is designed to test your endurance and mettle.”

“What made ya think we were made of metal?” Apple Bloom said. “We ain’t THAT tough.”

“Wait, what? No, I said mettle, not metal.” Piximon stopped for a moment, then frowned. “Oh...yes, very funny. Come on, let’s get you to dinner.”

“I don’t get it, what’s so funny?” Apple Bloom asked.

Before everypony went with him Diamond Tiara stayed by the playground for a moment. Later that night, she pulled Silver Spoon and Rumble aside for a chat.

Over with the Digimon, they had moved on to some combat training. They felt confident when Piximon told them this, having had their fair share of battles. Unfortunately, they severely underestimated how much of a fight a little pixie can put up.

Hawkmon was trying to chase down Piximon but was having no luck. “Will you just stay still!”

“An enemy won’t stop moving just because you asked. You must learn how to outmaneuver any opponent!” Piximon said while keeping up his speed.

The others didn’t fare much better, all trying to attack their own Piximon copies, to no avail. “You are much too predictable. I could dodge your attacks while blindfolded!” Piximon said while fighting Palmon.

As if to prove a point, the Piximon clone fighting Veemon stopped to put on a blindfold before continuing.

“Why you!” Veemon growled before charging. Much to his frustration though, Piximon had no trouble blocking his flurry of punches.

The training continued well into the evening, and the Digimon collapsed on the floor. Only a few of them were able to land a glancing blow on Piximon.

Once more the ponies found themselves staring at the playground. It had been almost a week of exercises and doing various chores around the dojo. And yet they were still no closer to conquering the absurd jungle gym that stood before them. Each challenge had been rearranged at least once over the course of the past few days.

“Alright, everyone ready?” Piximon asked.

“Wait a minute!” Silver Spoon called out. “Could we have a few minutes to talk?”

Piximon looked to a pocket watch, then back at the obstacle course before nodding. Everypony huddled up.

“Alright, so I’ve been talking with some of you, and I think I may have an idea on how to solve the dark tunnels,” Silver Spoon said. Everypony glanced towards the muddy tunnels she was referring too. “We all know that there are panels inside that sometimes flash a number, right?” Everypony nodded. “Well, the keypad in the center requires a four-digit code. I think that the panels will tell us that code.

What I propose is that we have five ponies at that obstacle," Silver Spoon continued. "One will be at the keypad, the other four will be in the tunnels trying to find the panels. Once everypony finds one, they wait until they start flashing. Once they do, that pony shouts ‘Flash!’ to tell the pony in the center the order. Once the center pony figures out the order, they’ll tell the ponies inside to give them the numbers as they flash. We get the code, we get the key!"

“Wow, that’s a great idea!” Apple Bloom said. “But what about the high ropes course and the rope tunnels?”

“I have an idea,” Diamond Tiara piped in. “We divide and conquer! We’ll have the five ponies in the dark tunnels. Meanwhile, the other two will get a head start on the rope maze. That team will be the start of a daisy chain."

Everyone glanced at the rope tunnel maze as Diamond Tiara continued. "They go in together, staying on the same path. When they hit a certain point where they may get turned around, one pony stays behind to remember the way back. This way, if they do get the key they can get back to the start quickly. And if it's a dead-end the other pony can start down an alternate path.

“Once we have the key from the dark tunnels, one pony heads to the rope maze to help with the daisy chain. The other four head to the high ropes course in teams of two,” Diamond Tiara looked to everypony around her. “If we keep our heads cool, we can make it in time.”

Scootaloo glanced back towards the high ropes course. “That sounds good, but I think we should divert more horsepower to the rope maze. We all know that that maze can be a tough nut to crack. What if we have three ponies on the ropes course plan out a route before we start. That’ll leave one more pony for Diamond Tiara’s daisy chain.”

Everypony agreed on the plan and began dividing up into teams. Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, Diamond Tiara, and Rumble would tackle the tunnels. Silver Spoon would be the code-puncher in the center. Babs Seed and Sweetie Belle would get a head start on the maze. Afterward, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Rumble would make a dash for the high ropes course. The three ponies studied the towers, planning out the quickest route to take to the highest tower.

“Alright, ready or not here we go!” Piximon said. “On your marks, get set, go!”

Everypony galloped towards their respective starting points. Silver Spoon grit her teeth as she crawled on her belly through the cold, slimy mud. Luckily, this maze wasn’t as complicated as the rope tunnels. Silver Spoon emerged into the sunlight and ran for the lockbox.

“Alright, I’m here,” Silver Spoon shouted, taking a moment to wipe her glasses clean. “Everypony in position?”

“I’m ready!” Apple Bloom called out.

“Same here!” Diamond Tiara responded.

“Give me a minute!” Scootaloo called out. “No, Rumble you go that way, I’ll go this way.”

Silver Spoon began to fidget in place. “Come on, come on.” At the rope tunnel maze, she saw that Sweetie Belle had stopped at an intersection while Babs Seed went on ahead.

“Alright, found a panel here!” Scootaloo called out.

“Same!” Rumble shouted.

“Alright, let me know when your numbers start flashing!” Silver Spoon kept her ears erect.

“Flash!” Rumble shouted first. A moment later, Apple Bloom shouted the same thing. Diamond Tiara and Scootaloo soon followed.

“Alright, when Rumble shouts his number, everypony shout your number when they flash!”

After a few moments, Rumble shouted, “Five!”

“Seven!”

“Two!”

“Nine!”

Silver Spoon listened to the sequence one more time before punching the numbers into the keypad. She heard a few clicks before the lockbox door swung open, where a key hung off a hook. She grabbed the key before running over to one of the tunnel entrances. “I got it! Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, Rumble, get to the high ropes course. I’ll see the rest of you at the rope tunnels.” She scurried through the tunnels, then dashed over to the central tower. She slipped the key into one of the keyholes and turned it into place.

Meanwhile, Scootaloo led Apple Bloom and Rumble to the high ropes course and began scaling a rope ladder. When they got to the platform at the top, they had two paths to choose from. One path was a bridge consisting of three ropes, one to walk on with their hind legs, and two to grab onto. But their planned route demanded that they take the second path, a bridge of padded platforms.

Scootaloo knew from experience that the platforms were rigged to throw them off in a variety of ways. The first would flip the platforms if they stood on them for too long, sending them tumbling into the water. The second setting made them move around in a particular pattern. Scootaloo gently placed her hoof on the first platform. A few moments later, she heard a small CLICK, and the platform flipped onto its side. But then, her heart sank even further as they slowly began to move from side to side.

“Alright, so this might be a bit tougher than usual,” Scootaloo looked back to Apple Bloom and Rumble. “I’ll go first, you two start as soon as you see an opening. Don’t wait for me to get to the other side!”

She waited until the first platform passed in front of her, then leaped forward. Her senses were on a knife’s edge as she navigated the craziest game of hopscotch she’d ever played. The moment she leaped towards the other side, she felt the platform start to tilt. The momentum had thrown her a bit to the side, and she landed just on the edge of the ledge. After regaining her balance, she allowed herself a moment to breathe.

Looking back, she saw Rumble and Apple Bloom making their way over to her together. The moment they joined her, Scootaloo motioned for them to head to the next obstacle on their path. While it offered a quick way to the key, it was also one of the obstacles Scootaloo dreaded the most. It was a large net that had them climb across to reach the next platform.

Apple Bloom glanced down at the water below and paled a little. “You alright Apple Bloom?” Scootaloo asked.

“Y-yeah,” Apple Bloom nodded. “Come on, time’s a-wastin'!”

Scootaloo latched onto the rope web and began to shimmy her way across the net with Apple Bloom and Rumble. Stealing a glance back to the rope maze, she could see Diamond Tiara had reached the key. She was making her way back to Silver Spoon to hoof it off. Meanwhile, half of the sand had been drained in the hourglass.

As Scootaloo and the others reached the center of the net, she heard a series of creaks that made her stomach drop.

“Everypony hold on!” Scootaloo ordered as the net began to spin on an axis. The net didn’t spin very fast, but it created enough force to make the climb a lot harder. There was also the danger of having their bearings thrown off and coming off back at the start. Not to mention being thrown off themselves if they weren’t careful.

Rumble glanced down at the water as he crossed. “You know, this is actually kinda scary without wings.”

“Don’t think too much about it,” Scootaloo called back. “Worst case scenario: you fall and take a dip in some cool water. And if that happens, just try not to land on your stomach.”

After what felt like an eternity, Scootaloo managed to disembark on the other side. But as Rumble moved a little closer towards the edge of the net, his hoof slipped and he began to fall. Luckily, Apple Bloom managed to catch him just in time. But they had missed their stop, and the added weight was making Apple Bloom lose her grip. By the time the net swung by the starting point, she was hanging on by a hoof.

“Scootaloo! Get ready to catch him!” Apple Bloom shouted.

“Apple Bloom, no!” Scootaloo reached out.

“Just do it! I can’t hold on much longer!”

As Apple Bloom swung close enough to Scootaloo, she threw Rumble to her. While Scootaloo pulled Rumble up onto the platform, Apple Bloom tried to regain her grip. But the spinning net was too much for her, and she slipped and fell with a scream.

“Apple Bloom!” Scootaloo cried out.

“Keep goin’!” Apple Bloom shouted before she hit the water. A few moments later, she floundered to the water’s surface. “Sweet Luna on a tricycle that’s cold!”

“We gotta go, now!” Rumble reminded Scootaloo. They dashed over towards the final obstacle on their path. There were three routes up the final tower. First was a rock wall, which nopony had managed to conquer. The second was a knotted rope which was mounted on a wheel. Knowing Piximon it probably spun around like crazy if someone were to try and climb it. The third one was a pulley tied to a basket.

Their plan was to use this to reach the top of the tower and grab the key. But Scootaloo was starting to have her doubts now. Apple Bloom’s strength was a key factor in this part of the plan.

“I know what you’re thinking, and we gotta try it without her,” Rumble said as he trotted over to the basket.

“I don’t know if we’ll be able to make it in time without her though,” Scootaloo fidgeted.

“I can hear ya up there ya know!” Apple Bloom shouted from the edge of the course. “Quit yer belly achin’ and do it already! That hourglass ain’t stoppin’ for nopony!”

Scootaloo glanced down at the hourglass. Piximon hovered next to it, and Scootaloo could’ve sworn that she saw something of a hopeful gleam in his eye. “Alright, time to buck up or shut up!” she grinned, hopping into the basket with Rumble.

With a nod, they got to work pulling themselves up. There wasn’t a lot of rope, but the weight of the basket and its occupants made the climb difficult. Time was running out, and they could hear everypony else cheering them on from below. Scootaloo caught Diamond Tiara putting the second key into its keyhole.

“It’s just us now!” Rumble said. “Come on, we got this!”

Scootaloo nodded. “Right, double time!”

There were two ponies in the basket, but they worked as one pony. When they reached the top, Rumble held the basket in place while Scootaloo grabbed the key. She latched onto a pole next to the tower and slid down like a firemare, landing in a soft pile of cushions. Pushed on by the cheers of her friends, Scootaloo galloped towards the central tower. She slid the last key into place and turned it.

The brazier at the top of the tower burst into flames, and fireworks launched from around the playground. The cheers of the ponies competed for dominance over that of the colorful explosions. Rumble did a backflip off the platform, cannonballing into the water below. As the fireworks faded and the ponies calmed down, Piximon hovered towards them.

“Well done everyone, well done!” he said as he clapped his hands. “It took a while, but you finally figured it out didn’t you?” Everyone stared at him for a few moments, too tired to speak. “The only way you would be able to beat the entire course was by working together as a team.”

Piximon gestured to the dark tunnel maze. “The only way for you to figure out the code was by communicating with each other clearly and effectively.” He then turned to the rope tunnels. “And navigating this maze is no easy feat. But once you found the key, you had to entrust its safety to your teammates to carry it out.” Finally, he pointed to the high ropes course. “And then there’s one of my favorite challenges. Even the best-laid plans often go awry. But an effective team is able to adapt to any bumps in the road that they may face.”

Piximon looked over everypony with a smile. “Communication, trust, and adaptability. These are the marks of an effective team. And whether or not you realize it, you’ve been improving these skills over the course of this past week.”

“Wait, does that include all those chores you had us do?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Because I can see that being the case with the weeding, the gutter cleaning, and the floor scrubbing. But what about when you had us repaint the fence?”

Piximon shrugged. “Well, you worked as a team to finish it, didn’t you? Besides, that fence desperately needed a couple of new coats of fresh paint.” Ignoring everypony’s groans, Piximon beckoned for them to follow him. “Come on now, it’s time for our evening jog.”

As everypony followed Piximon to collect their Digimon, a thought occurred to Silver Spoon. “Hey, how do you think our partners are holding up with their training?” she asked.

As they rounded the corner, a series of explosions rocked the dojo. A thick black cloud of smoke began to billow out of one of the larger rooms. A few tense moments later, their Digimon partners began filing out of the room, covered in soot and bruises. They all looked to each other for a bit before Hawkmon put out a small flame lingering in his tail feathers. “Well...that went a whole lot better than last time,” he said with a smile.

“Yeah!” Veemon pumped his fist. “We’re awesome!”

High fives were exchanged all around until Guilmon noticed that they weren’t alone. “Oh, hey Scootaloo,” he waved.

“Hey…” Scootaloo weakly waved back. “What happened to you guys?”

“Funny, I was about to ask the same thing,” Terriermon waddled up to Silver Spoon. “You have certainly looked better.”

“You don’t look like a basket of fruit yourself,” Silver Spoon laughed.

Terriermon held up his soot-covered ears and laughed. “No, I guess I don’t, do I?”

Everyone joined in the laughter as they all tried to determine which of them looked the worse for wear. Meanwhile, Piximon finished his conversation with his copy that oversaw the Digimon's training.

“Alright, change of plans,” Piximon said as his copy dissipated. “We’ll just do some stretches, and then I want all of you to hit the showers and get ready for dinner.”

When everyone returned from washing up, they were greeted to a buffet dinner. After having to survive off Piximon's small meals for the last week, the sight was enough to evoke tears of joy. Everyone sat at the table with a loaded plate and began stuffing their faces.

"Wow! This is all so good!" Sweetie Belle said as she took another bite of grilled squash.

“Well, after what you accomplished this past week, you deserve it, ” Piximon smiled. “Please, eat as much as you like.”

As they were eating Apple Bloom looked around and noticed something significant. “Would you look at us. Usually, we’re pantin’ up a storm after all that trainin’. But now, I feel great!”

“I know what you mean. I’ve never felt so pumped!” Rumble said with a huge grin before eating some more.

“I never thought all that exercise would actually be kind of fun in the end,” Silver Spoon said, sitting up a little taller alongside Diamond Tiara.

“I feel like I can take my cousins next time we wrestle at the family reunion,” Babs Seed said. "Just you wait Ginger Gold. Next time, you're goin' down!"

“We really want ta thank you for everthin’ Piximon,” Apple Bloom said. “After all that, I reckon we can take on anything right now.” Her comment was met with sounds of affirmation from the rest of the table.

“Hold on young ones, you didn't think you were all done, did you?” Piximon asked. Everyone stopped eating for a moment, confusion painting their faces. “Once you're done eating head off to bed. The next part of your training will continue tomorrow. You'll want a good night's sleep for what comes next.”

Despite the sudden announcement, the good food helped keep the worry at bay. Everyone shared stories of their training mishaps and triumphs. But while everyone was laughing and eating their fill, one thought dwelled in the back of their minds.

After a week of being pushed to their limits, what came next? The possibilities made everyone a little uneasy.

Chapter 15: Strength of the Spirit

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The morning gong roused everyone from their slumber once more.

“Rise and shine everyone!” Piximon sang. “It’s another glorious day today!”

Sweetie Belle stretched her forelegs with a long yawn as she and Palmon emerged from their room.

“Good morning everyone,” Sweetie Belle smiled, feeling chipper. Everyone responded with smiles and their own greetings, looking more refreshed than usual. Glancing down at her Digivice, she was shocked to find the time was eight o'clock. “Wait a minute, did Piximon let us sleep in?”

“That I did,” Piximon said. “I wanted to make sure you all got plenty of rest for today. Trust me, you’ll need it for this phase of your training.”

“And what kind of training are we doing this time?” Veemon asked, cracking his knuckles.

“Oh, there’ll be plenty of time to worry about that later. But first, let’s do our morning jog. Hop to it!” Piximon ordered.

Everyone followed Piximon out of the dojo and around the mountain path. After over a week of running the same path every morning, the exercise had become much easier. A week ago, they would often return from this exercise gasping for breath and doubling over in pain. Today, they finished feeling only a bit winded, but much more awake.

After finishing their stretches, they went to the dining room to eat breakfast. Everyone was surprised, and a bit puzzled, to see a small buffet of fruits and cereals. There was even a plate of bread sitting next to a toaster.

“No usual bland oatmeal this morning?” Babs Seed asked, eyeing the ripe fruits with suspicion.

“Nope,” Piximon said. “Get what you want, but don’t stuff yourselves like you did last night.”

Babs narrowed her eyes at Piximon, trying to guess the motive behind the sudden diet change. She looked back at the buffet with a shrug and fixed herself up with a small bowl of cereal and an orange.

Once everyone had finished eating, Piximon led them through another part of the dojo.

“Is it me, or does this place look a lot smaller on the outside?” Apple Bloom whispered to Armadillomon.

“He seems to have a room for just about anything,” Armadillomon agreed.

“Really? Then where’s he hiding the five-star spa?” Diamond Tiara chuckled.

“Three doors down this way, take a right, then two lefts,” Piximon answered from the front of the line. “It’s right by the gift shop, you can’t miss it.”

“This place has a gift shop?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“No, now quit gossiping back there!”

As they passed by a window, Scootaloo noticed part of the playground standing outside. “Wait, we’re NOT doing the playground today?” she asked.

Piximon paused, looking towards the playground. “Well...I wasn’t planning on having you run it,” Piximon said. “But I guess if you really want to then—”

“No, no!” Scootaloo rapidly shook her head, echoing everypony else in the room. “We’re good.”

“Yeah, I thought so,” Piximon chuckled before leading them on.

Everyone followed Piximon outside, traveling across a bridge stretching over a bubbling stream. They soon arrived at a large, open area. A few simple, but well-maintained trees were dotted throughout the square. A small koi pond sat in one corner, teeming with large fish. But what captured everyone’s attention was the large sandbox in the center. But this wasn’t like anything one would find at a playground. The sand inside was a soft, milky white, and looked completely undisturbed. A few rocks of varying sizes sat in the sandbox, all smooth enough to look like half-buried marbles.

CLUNK!

Everyone looked to the source of the noise. Near the koi pond sat a water spout that slowly filled a bamboo tube, which sat on a pivot. The tube would fill up, tilt back and dump the water into a reservoir before rotating back into place. The heavy end would fall onto a rock, creating a sharp noise that echoed throughout the garden.

No one spoke a word, as if doing so would shatter the beautiful scene in front of them.

“AHHH-CHOO!” Guilmon sneezed, making everyone jump out of their skin.

“Bless you,” Scootaloo said, holding a hoof to her chest.

“Sorry...” Guilmon blushed.

“Right, if we’re all done sightseeing, follow me please,” Piximon said.

Everyone followed Piximon to a large wooden gazebo in the back of the garden. Inside, fourteen rubber mats were neatly laid before a small pedestal.

“Everyone take a seat,” Piximon beckoned as he made his way to the pedestal. Everyone did as they were told, sitting next to their Digimon partners. “Tell me, what makes someone DigiDestined?”

Everyone looked to one another, puzzling over the question. “Um...having a Digivice?” Scootaloo guessed.

“That is part of it, yes. Only the DigiDestined can use the Digivices. But is a Digivice not an object? One that can be stolen or found by someone who’s NOT DigiDestined?”

“Then, is it having a Digimon partner?” Apple Bloom offered.

“Close. It’s the bond that is shared between the two partners that makes someone DigiDestined.”

“The bond?” Diamond Tiara asked.

“Why do you think they are referred to as ‘partners’?” Piximon asked. “After all, the Digimon are likely to do most, if not all the fighting. What do the DigiDestined do?”

Everypony looked to their partners. Their eyes reflected feelings of pride, gratitude, and an ounce of guilt.

“The DigiDestined and Digimon are called ‘partners’ because the relationship is two-sided. Do you know why your partners are able to digivolve without absorbing data?”

“Because of our Digivices,” Rumble answered.

“Once again, you’re close. The Digivice serves as a medium. It channels the energy of the DigiDestined, and allows their partner to digivolve.”

“So…” Sweetie Belle started. “Our partners are only able to digivolve because we give them the strength to do so?”

“Yes, but the bond goes deeper than that. You all have been together for...how long now?”

Silver Spoon looked down, quietly counting to herself. “Twenty-five days,” she answered.

“Whoa, for real?” Babs Seed reeled. “It’s been almost a month?”

“A month…” Apple Bloom glanced down for a moment. All around her, the amount of time they spent in the Digital World was sinking into everypony else.

“I see,” Piximon nodded. “And have you noticed anything happening to you when your partners digivolve? When they fight? Do you feel any different?”

Scootaloo put a hoof to her chin. “Now that I think about it…” she began. “Back in the desert, when Growlmon was fighting, I swear that I felt a slight pain wherever he was hit. Like, when he got hit in the shoulder, I felt like someone had smacked my own shoulder at the same time.”

“Wait...I think I felt that a couple of times too!” Diamond Tiara said. “When Aquilamon was fighting Airdramon!”

“I don’t remember anything like that whenever Veedramon fought,” Babs Seed said.

“Well, how do you feel whenever he fights?” Piximon asked. “Whenever he defeats another Digimon?”

“I feel proud of him,” Babs Seed answered without hesitation. “Like my school team won a championship or somethin’.”

“Oh, so fighting to the finish is commonplace in your world?”

Babs Seed’s smile faltered. “Well...no.”

“We usually don’t have to fight,” Sweetie Belle thought aloud. “Aside from dealing with the bi-weekly monster attack from the Everfree Forest.”

“And when you see these...Everfree monster attacks, what do YOU usually do?” Piximon leaned forward.

“I...run to someplace safe and hide,” Sweetie Belle’s eyes widened as she looked to her friends.

Back home, whenever they saw something dangerous, their first instinct would be to run. But after a few days in the Digital World, it was a little different. The fear was still definitely there. Especially when faced with a massive, scary Digimon. But with their partners by their side, they didn’t run. They stood alongside them as they digivolved, and cheered them on as they fought. Their hearts racing as they inched closer to victory.

Was this just pride in their friends' talents, and the notion of never leaving them behind? Or was it something else that caused these feelings? Were they feeling their partner Digimon’s thrill for battle?

“So what does this have to do with our training?” Rumble asked.

“I’m glad you asked!” Piximon smiled. “You see, this next phase of your training is going to focus on strengthening your spirit. In doing so, we will strengthen the bond between partners. I’ll teach you how to get in touch with this bond, and how both partners can tap into it.”

“Wait, you mean we can use it too?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Of course,” Piximon nodded. “Wouldn’t be much of a partnership if you couldn’t.”

“How can WE use it?” Scootaloo asked. “I mean, our partners use it to digivolve, but what can we use it for?”

“If I told you the capabilities of the bond between two great partners, we’d be here all day,” Piximon grinned. “But here’s a start. At the end of this training, you two will be able to communicate with each other...through your mind!”

Everyone looked up to Piximon with a sparkle in their eyes. Except for Silver Spoon, who looked up to him with a raised eyebrow. “Wait, wait, wait,” Silver Spoon put up her hooves. “I’m sorry, but talking to our partners through our minds? You seriously think that we can use telepathy with our partners?”

“That sounds awesome!” Scootaloo pumped her hoof.

“And unlikely,” Silver Spoon said, earning glares from everyone else. “I’m sorry, but it’s true! Telepathy can only be performed by high-level unicorns. We’re talking Star Swirl the Bearded levels of magical talent here! And the only unicorn with us isn’t even close to that level! No offense Sweetie Belle.”

“None taken,” Sweetie Belle shrugged.

“Well you better hope it’s possible,” Piximon chuckled. “Otherwise, these next few days are going to be very quiet.” Piximon tapped the ground twice with the base of his spear.

Sweetie Belle felt a wave of air slam into her throat, making her jump a bit. She cleared her throat before looking back to see everyone else doing the same thing. “Did everyone else feel that?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Are you all alright?” No one responded. “Hey, you guys alright?” she asked again, tapping her hoof on the ground. Apple Bloom looked up to Sweetie Belle but didn’t answer. “Did you hear me? Is anyone hurt?” she asked again, getting a little frustrated.

Apple Bloom cocked her head to the side. Her lips moved for a few moments, but she didn’t say anything. She paused, then moved her lips again. After a much longer pause, her expression began to grow frantic. She stood up and put a hoof to her throat, her mouth moving rapidly as she looked on the verge of hyperventilating.

“Apple Bloom, what’s wrong?” Sweetie Belle shot up. She looked like she was talking, but no words came out of her mouth. “Apple Bloom?” Sweetie Belle shakingly brought a hoof to her own throat. “Hello?” she spoke.

Sweetie Belle’s heart skipped. She had felt her lips moving. But she felt no vibrations in her throat and heard no words exit her mouth. She looked around to see everyone ease into a state of panic as they tried to talk with each other. Lips would move, limbs were frantically waved around, but no words were spoken. It was like watching a ridiculous silent movie.

“Are you done?” Piximon asked.

“What gives?” Sweetie Belle tried to say but frowned when nothing came out of her mouth.

“As you’ve probably guessed, I took away your voices. My plan was to have you all try to go through this part without speaking on your own. But then I realized that that would probably be impossible for you. This way, you won’t be tempted to speak just because I asked you not to, but because...well, you can’t.”

Babs Seed murmured something, glaring at Piximon all the while.

Piximon swopped in, knocked Babs Seed off her hooves and pinned her with the blunt end of his spear. “Now let’s get one thing straight!” Piximon glared. “Just because I can’t hear you, doesn’t mean I can’t read your lips. You say something like that to me again, and you’ll find a bar of soap in that potty mouth of yours before you can blink.” Piximon hovered back to his seat. “Honestly, do you kiss your mother with that?”

Babs hid behind her mane, trying to dodge everyone’s stares as her face turned red.

“Now then...maybe we can get started?” Piximon put down his spear and beckoned for everyone to sit back down. “We’ll begin with some basic meditation. Cross your legs, if you can. Otherwise, just get comfortable. Now, close your eyes and take a deep breath. Clear your mind.”

Everyone did as Piximon instructed, some opting to cross their legs, or hind legs in some cases.

“Now, listen to what I have to say, and keep an open mind. This space we’re in, we can’t be sure that it exists.” Everyone looked up to Piximon for a moment, the statement catching them off guard. “Everything in the Digital World is made of data. Data that can be manipulated by beings of immense power. Everything from this gazebo, to the mats you’re sitting on, even your own bodies. They are all made from data.

There’s only one thing that we can be sure exists: your breathing. Focus on that. Breathe in, feel the air fill your lungs. And then slowly release it. Don’t control your breathing, just focus on it. Let your thoughts drift on by, and keep breathing. In...and out.”

The day crawled on. After the meditation session, Piximon had everyone do various chores around the garden. He made an emphasis on pairing everyone up with their partners. It would have been a good opportunity for everypony to have some one on one time with their Digimon. But any attempts at conversation were reduced to attempted lip reading and charades.

At the end of the day, Piximon gathered them for another meditation session before dinner. As everyone shuffled to bed, they nodded to one another with somewhat forced smiles. Even the simple privilege of saying “goodnight” to their friends was lost to them.

The next day was met with more of the same. Scootaloo was grateful for the wide array of options available to them for breakfast. But she missed the morning banter that often accompanied the meal. Afterward, Piximon brought them to the meditation garden. He spent the next hour walking them through the meditation session. She had to admit, the exercise did make her feel more awake and relaxed.

Piximon then brought everyone to the large sandbox in the center. “I know you’re all wondering what the deal is with the oversized litter box here,” he said. “Well, this here is called a zen garden. It’s part of an ancient practice that some humans dabbled in, called Buddhism. The gardens were often made to represent the essence of nature. Think of it as a meditation aid.”

Piximon hovered over to a small collection of rakes and sticks. “I want you to spend some time there with your partners. Think about the time you’ve spent together, what you know about each other. Then, draw whatever comes to mind. It doesn’t have to look exactly like something, it could be swirls, lines, doodles, whatever. Think of it as, uh...meditation in motion.”

Scootaloo picked up a small rake and walked with Guilmon to a spot near one of the large, smooth boulders. She looked to Guilmon with a shrug and began poking at the sand, letting her mind wander. She thought back to when she met Guilmon when he was a cute little Gigimon, and smiled. She remembered how he had stood up to Kuwagamon, and how he digivolved soon afterward.

She looked down and found that she had drawn a small swirl with her rake. She glanced over to Guilmon, hoping to find him drawing something similar. Instead, he opted to try and build a sandcastle. But the sand was far too loose to be packed into a solid shape, and his castles soon collapsed, much to his dismay.

Scootaloo gently rubbed his shoulder, comforting him before turning back to her drawings. She thought about how childish Guilmon seemed to behave. She knew she wasn’t exactly a young adult either, and felt no shame with that. But Guilmon, he always acted like he was a lot younger than her. Not quite a baby, but someone who was at least half her age. Always curious and friendly, looking at the world with a gleam in his eye. Scootaloo began to wonder if this is what it would be like if she had a younger brother.

And then there were the times when he fought. It was still pretty scary to see Guilmon’s personality shift from a curious child to a furious beast. But whenever he did it, it was to protect her and her friends.

A growl from her stomach made her look away from the lines she was drawing. She began to wonder how long they had been here, and if it was close to lunchtime yet. Scootaloo’s thoughts shifted to the bottomless pit Guilmon called his stomach. Granted, every one of the Digimon tended to voice their hunger when it struck. But Guilmon was usually the first. He would even volunteer to eat anyone’s leftovers when they camped. When they were traveling, he was often on the lookout for things to snack on. He’d find berries and wild fruit, offering to share it with the others.

“Mmmm...I wonder if you could put peanut butter IN a bread roll.”

Scootaloo’s mouth watered. A peanut butter stuffed roll? Yeah, that sounded amazing. She stopped drawing, her brow creased. Wait...what?! she thought. Where did that come from?

She shook her head clear and looked back to Guilmon. He had abandoned his sandcastle construction, and was drawing random doodles in the sand. At first glance, they looked like rocks. On closer inspection, she could see the large lines that looked like the tears one would find in baked bread.

Scootaloo quietly stepped back to her drawings. No, there’s no way. That wasn’t actually him...was it? She looked back to Guilmon, who stared at his drawings while licking his lips. Taking a deep breath, she focused on Guilmon. Guilmon? Was that you? Can you hear me?

Moments passed, and silence was her only reply. She shook her head with a sigh. No, don’t be ridiculous Scootaloo, she thought. That’s probably just your stomach talking. But...it did kinda sound like him, did it? And he IS drawing bread. Oh, come on girl! He probably has bread on the brain whenever he’s hungry!

“Alright everyone, that’s enough for now,” Piximon said, snapping Scootaloo out of her daze. “Why don’t we get something to eat before we move on?”

Everyone filed out of the zen garden, gently placing their tools back. As they left, Scootaloo glanced back to the various designs drawn in the sand. That thought...was it some fluke, or was that actually Guilmon?

“I want you to focus on your partner,” Piximon said. “Let all other thoughts drift on past you, brush them aside and keep your focus on your partner. What they look like, how they act, the memories you have together. Block out all other distractions. Imagine walking to them and meeting them for the first time.”

Scootaloo glanced back to Guilmon, who had his eyes closed and was breathing steadily.

“Both partners have to focus on each other,” Piximon continued. “They have to meet each other halfway. But most importantly, both partners must have a clear mind. That means they must be meditating, not napping. Armadillomon, I’m talking to you!” Piximon darted over to Armadillomon, smacking him with his spear a couple of times until he woke up.

As Piximon reprimanded Armadillomon, Scootaloo reflected on Piximon’s instructions. Focus on Guilmon... she took a deep breath, held it for a moment, then released it. His big dino body, his goofy attitude, his childish antics, his bottomless stomach. The times he saved me, the fun times we had, his tendency to sleep snuggle whenever we camp. Scootaloo blushed at that last thought, but kept her breathing steady nonetheless.

Breathe in through the nose...and out through the mouth. Inhale...exhale.

Scootaloo opened her eyes to the sounds of waves gently lapping against the shore. She found herself on a small island in the middle of the ocean.

“What the…” Scootaloo breathed as she stared out at the crystal clear waters. Behind her, a few palm trees swayed in the breeze, carrying the smell of sea salt in the air. She walked around the island, smiling as she gazed out into the ocean. She had never seen water this clear before. It was almost like wavy glass. She was so transfixed by the beauty of it all that she almost tripped when her hoof bumped into something solid.

Looking down, she found a small purple kayak and a double-sided paddle. Across the ocean where it was facing, Scootaloo spotted another small island. Between the two islands was a small sandbar. Squinting into the distance, she saw something moving around on the other island.

Scootaloo grabbed the paddle, pushed the kayak into the water and hopped in. She steadily paddled her way across the water, the kayak gliding across the waves with ease. She passed by the sandbar and began making her way to the opposite island. As she did so, she saw the figure again, this time recognizing him almost instantly.

“Guilmon?” Scootaloo breathed. The ocean began to churn, tossing her kayak back and forth. She tried to paddle against the waves, only to be tossed back onto the sandbar. Shaking her head clear, she stared down at the shattered remains of her kayak. She tried swimming out to Guilmon’s island, but a strong current swept her back to the sandbar.

“Guilmon!” Scootaloo called out. “Over here!”

Guilmon looked over to Scootaloo, his eyes widening. He called out to her, but the sea breeze drowned out his voice. He then began jumping up and down, waving his arms in an attempt to signal her.

Gripping her head in frustration, Scootaloo looked around the island Guilmon was on. Off towards the side, was a small ruined dock. A small, beat-up canoe and paddle were roped to a post there.

“Hey, Guilmon!” Scootaloo called out, gesturing to the canoe and making a rowing motion. “Use the canoe!”

Guilmon eventually managed to get the message, and got in the canoe. With some difficulty, Guilmon managed to paddle his way over to the sandbar. Beaching the canoe, he stumbled out of it and ran towards Scootaloo.

“Scootaloo!” Guilmon smiled as he scooped her up in a back-breaking hug. Scootaloo didn’t care though, she was so happy to hear her partner’s goofy voice again.

Scootaloo opened her eyes to find herself still in the gazebo.

“You want me to get you a pillow while you’re here too?” Piximon continued ranting at Armadillomon. Beside him, Apple Bloom stared at the one-way argument unfolding in front of her. Scootaloo could only guess how long he’d been talking.

Thinking back on her meditation session, she began to wonder if she nodded off and dreamt the whole thing. It wouldn’t be the first time. Ms. Cherilee could certainly attest to that.

She looked to Guilmon, who was staring back at her with a look of shock and curiosity. Taking a deep breath, she focussed on that feeling of connection she felt back on the sandbar. When Guilmon embraced her, the joy she felt. Like she was reunited with a long lost friend.

“Guilmon...” she thought. “Can you hear me?”

Guilmon sat up straighter, his eyes and smile widening. “Yes...yes I can!” Guilmon’s voice echoed in her head.

Scootaloo’s breath caught in her throat as she stood up. “Whoa! Is this actually happening?”

Guilmon nodded. “Uh-huh!”

Scootaloo leaped into the air, a smile stretching from ear to ear. “This is incredible!”

“Yeah!”

“So, I take it you two managed to tap into your bond?” Scootaloo turned to find herself and Guilmon at the center of attention. Piximon looked to them with a smile. “I’m just taking a guess, or did you two suddenly have the urge to start jumping around like you won a big prize or something?”

Scootaloo and Guilmon bashfully nodded their heads.

“So...did you talk to each other or win a prize?”

Scootaloo gave Piximon a flat look.

“I’m just kidding,” Piximon laughed.

Everyone looked to Scootaloo and Guilmon in amazement. They would’ve asked how they did it, or offered their congratulations. But any attempt to do so resulted in lips moving and silent groans.

“Alright, that’s enough meditating for now. Why don’t you all stretch your legs in the zen garden? Except for Scootaloo and Guilmon. I have some exercises I want you two to do to help control your telepathy.” Piximon turned to everyone else. “As for the rest of you, I hope this success puts any doubts you may have had to bed. Just keep trying, and you’ll discover the power of your bonds.”

Diamond Tiara looked at the card in front of her. An image of a hot air balloon was printed on it. Across from her, Hawkmon sat behind a small wooden barrier.

She looked up to Hawkmon, who smiled and nodded back to her before closing his eyes. Diamond Tiara took a deep breath and cleared her mind. A few moments later, she felt a slight tingling sensation pressing into the back of her mind. Taking a moment to relax, she allowed the sensation to pass through her head until it reached the back of her eyes. It lingered for a few moments before disappearing.

“A hot air balloon?” Hawkmon’s voice echoed in her head.

Diamond Tiara nodded. “Yep, that’s right. Alright, I guess it’s my turn now?”

Hawkmon nodded. “Ready when you are.”

Diamond Tiara closed her eyes and focused on Hawkmon. Feeling his presence, she focused on his eyes, and felt a barrier. She pressed into the barrier, as if she were knocking on a door. Soon afterward, she felt the barrier give way as Hawkmon let her in. Colors began to blur together until she could see a crystal clear image.

Across the table, Diamond Tiara saw herself, eyes closed and looking half asleep. A moment later, she felt Hawkmon’s gaze shift down to the table in front of him. She caught a glimpse of Hawkmon’s card before returning to her own sight.

“A kite?” Diamond Tiara asked.

“Correct!” Hawkmon smiled. “Are you getting used to it?”

Diamond Tiara massaged her temples, still feeling an odd sensation. “It still feels weird looking through your eyes. And seeing myself like that was...kinda scary to be honest.”

Hawkmon quietly laughed to himself. Diamond Tiara smiled and looked around. Over the past few days, her friends had managed to reach out to their partners in the same way Scootaloo had. For Diamond Tiara and Hawkmon, this breakthrough happened two days ago. During meditation, she had a vision where she was wandering through a cave. She followed Hawkmon’s voice until they met in a large chamber filled with gemstones.

Armadillomon and Apple Bloom were over in the zen garden. They were collaborating on some elaborate art project involving squiggly lines and swirls. She couldn’t see it from where she sat, but it looked like they were having fun.

Everyone else was doing similar exercises with their partners. Everyone except for Silver Spoon, Terriermon, Rumble, and Bearmon. They continued to meditate in the gazebo, stealing glances towards everypony else.

“Okay then, I think that’s enough of that.” Piximon landed on one of the boulders in the zen garden. He tapped the base of his spear on the boulder, Diamond Tiara felt a rush of air hit her throat.

“Ugh, that feels weird,” Diamond Tiara coughed. “Hey...I can talk again!”

“Oh wow!” Sweetie Belle smiled. “I never thought I’d miss the sound of my own voice so much.”

“Yes well, congratulations. You all made it through the second phase of your training.” Piximon hovered over everyone. “Why don’t you all finish your chores and take the rest of the day off. We may have a bit more to do tomorrow, but you all should be done here soon.”

Everyone cheered as they began to file out of the area. But before they left, Piximon swooped down to Rumble and Silver Spoon. “Uh, not you two. Could I see you and your partners for a few minutes?”

Without waiting for a reply, Piximon hovered back towards the dojo. Everyone looked to Rumble and Silver Spoon, who looked a little nervous. Piximon’s tone sounded an awful lot like the kind of tone Ms. Cherilee would use when someone was in trouble.

Piximon led the four to a small dining area, and beckoned them to take a seat while he brewed some tea. After a few minutes of tense quiet, Bearmon was the first to speak.

“Um...a-are we in trouble Piximon?” he stuttered.

Piximon poured them their tea. “No, you’re not in trouble. But I can see that you four are having trouble.”

“I don’t understand,” Silver Spoon said before putting some sugar cubes in her tea.

“Everyone else has managed to tap into their bonds over the last few days. But you four seem to be having difficulties. Why is that?”

“I don’t know!” Silver Spoon groaned. “I listen to your directions, clear my mind and all that. But, it’s not working. I don’t know much about telepathy, but I’m pretty sure there’s more to it then—”

Piximon put his hand up. “Forget the telepathy, this has never been about that. This is about finding the connection you share with Terriermon.”

“But that doesn’t make any sense. How am I supposed to find it if I don’t know what it is?”

“And there’s the problem,” Piximon took a sip of tea. “You’re looking at this from a rational viewpoint. You’re trying to explain your bond as though it was something physical. You have to open your mind to other possibilities. Some things aren’t that easy to explain.”

Silver Spoon sulked in her seat while Terriermon looked down at his tea, lost in thought.

Piximon then turned to Rumble. “And as for you, I think I know what the problem is.”

“Huh?” Rumble looked up.

“I’ve noticed that you have trouble focusing during meditation. You start out alright, but as time goes on, your attention seems to drift. You focus on what’s around you, and sometimes you look like you’re on the verge of falling asleep.”

Rumble’s ears folded back as he slumped in his seat.

“Bearmon, Terriermon, I know you two have been having your own troubles too. So, tomorrow you’re all going to undergo a special training session. Hopefully, it’ll help you all push through these difficulties you’ve been having.”

“Okay, what’ll we be doing?” Terriermon asked.

Piximon smiled. “Oh, you don’t need to worry about that right now. For now, why don’t you all head back and spend some time with your friends. I’m sure you all have a lot to talk about.”

Thanking Piximon for the tea, they quietly left the room. Piximon stared down at his cup, gently swirling his tea for a few moments before adding a sugar cube. He watched the cube bob around atop the liquid before slowly dissolving.

"Hmm..." Piximon rubbed his chin. "That may just work for Rumble. But what to do about Silver Spoon?" After finishing his tea, Piximon closed his eyes. The sounds of the DigiDestined talking and playing became white noise as he meditated.

The next morning, after breakfast, Piximon issued everyone a list of chores for the day. He also announced some sparing time for the Digimon later on. He then turned to Rumble, Silver Spoon, Terriermon and Bearmon.

“As for the rest of you,” Piximon began. “It’s time for your special training.”

Rumble took a deep breath. “Okay, so what’re we gonna do?”

“First, you and Bearmon are going to be taking a shower.”

“Huh?” Rumble raised his eyebrow.

“But...you usually have us take one at the end of the day,” Bearmon pointed out. “Why are we taking another one this early?”

“Just do it, please,” Piximon sighed. “I’ll be with you two in a minute.”

“Oh...okay. Come on Rumble.”

Rumble threw up his hooves with a sigh as he followed Bearmon.

Piximon turned to Silver Spoon and Terriermon. “Now you two, come with me,” he ordered.

Silver Spoon and Terriermon followed Piximon as he led them to a small room. The room was empty save for two small jade lion statues which guarded the door, and a few lit candles. Two mats sat on opposite ends of the room.

“Take a seat,” he gestured to the mats. “Silver Spoon you sit on the left, Terriermon on the right.”

Silver Spoon walked over to her mat, and sat down so that she was facing Terriermon. “Alright, so what now?” Silver Spoon sighed.

“Well, the problem you seem to be having is that you are overthinking about the bond you share,” Piximon began. “Whether you’re aware of it or not, that bond has been growing ever since you two first met. I assume that Terriermon’s already digivolved at least once, am I right?”

“Yeah, when we were at Primary Village,” Terriermon recalled. “During the Gazimon attack.”

“Yeah,” Silver Spoon nodded. “We were trying to protect all the baby Digimon, and more and more Gazimon kept coming.”

Piximon nodded. “Well, in a way, you two were both tapping into the bond you share. You both felt the need to protect those Digimon, which gave Terriermon the power to digivolve.”

“Okay…” Silver Spoon scratched her head. “But what does that have to do with our current situation?”

“I think you both know that the bond is there. But you try to analyze it, figure out the best way to tap into it. What you can’t seem to accept is that there is no ‘best way’ to do it. It’s something that you have to trust yourself to discover on your own.”

Piximon hovered towards the entrance of the room, leaning his spear against the door. “Which brings us to our training here today. If my lessons aren’t helping, then perhaps you need a more ‘hands-on’ approach. Maybe a little pressure can help you find your way.”

Silver Spoon didn’t like where this was going. As she fidgeted in place, she couldn’t help but notice that the mat beneath her wasn’t budging. Like it was glued into place.

“Exactly what kind of situation are we talking about here?” Terriermon asked, looking a little worried.

“Oh, you’ll see in a moment,” Piximon smiled, as he placed a hand on top of one of the statues. “Oh, one more thing before we begin.” He raised his empty hand towards Silver Spoon. “Yoink!”

Silver Spoon had no time to react as her glasses flew off her face and into Piximon’s hand. As soon as he had them he turned the right ear on the statue.

“Hey, what’s the big ide— Aaaahhh!” Silver Spoon screamed as the mat dropped out from under her. She landed on a hard surface, feeling smooth metal brush across her back as she spiraled down a steel slide. She could barely see another slide across from her, the two spiraling together into a helix. Silver Spoon guessed the shouting white smudge on the other slide was Terriermon. Before Silver Spoon could say anything, the slides straightened out in opposite directions. Silver Spoon entered a small tunnel, which gently curved around. A few moments later, the slide ended, and she bounced out into a small, dimly lit room.

Brushing herself off, Silver Spoon picked up her sunhat and looked around. But without her glasses, she couldn’t make heads or tails of her surroundings. “What is this? Where am I?” she said with a worried tone.

“Hey Silver Spoon!” a voice called from above. “Are you okay?”

Silver Spoon looked up and saw a glass tunnel running along the ceiling. Squinting, she could make out a white and green smudge waving at her. “Yeah, I think so. How about you?”

“I’m good.”

“Where are we? I can’t see much without my glasses.”

“I don’t know. The room’s pretty empty, and I don’t see a door. There’s a tiled section of the floor in the center, but it looks like it’s missing a tile.”

Silver Spoon slowly walked towards the center of the room. Unlike the grey floors of the rest of the room, the tiles here were ceramic. They covered most of the floor, and she could make out black lines curving in no discernable pattern. Each tile seemed to have its own design that didn’t connect with the tiles nearby. Looking around, she could also see a slot where a tile seemed to be missing.

“Hmm…” Silver Spoon trotted over to the empty slot. “Terriermon, do these lines look like anything to you?”

“Nah, they kind of go all over the place. Wait, there’s something up here.” Silver Spoon watched the Terriermon smudge crawl towards another section of the tunnel. “There’s a picture of Piximon up here. Not sure why.”

Silver Spoon looked around the room, but couldn’t find any stray tiles. Looking down, she traced her hoof along the pattern of one of the tiles near the hole. As she pressed her hoof into the tile, it shifted a little. She slid it into the empty slot, then back again. “So that’s what it is,” she whispered. “Terriermon! I think these tiles are a puzzle. We gotta move the tiles around until they form an image.”

“Oh, okay. That would explain the picture up here. I bet this is what the tiles form.”

Silver Spoon stepped back to view the whole puzzle, but could only make out the edge closest to her. “Listen, I’m gonna need your eyes up there. Think you can guide me through this?”

“Moumentai! Let’s see if we can’t solve the edges and work our way inward. That tile you’re on looks like part of his left foot. Try moving it down and to the left.”

Terriermon continued to give directions for several minutes. As Silver Spoon slid the last tile into place, it gave a loud click. The sound of grinding gears filled the room as a part of the wall slid open.

“Something’s opened over here!” Silver Spoon said.

“Same up here,” Terriermon said. “I guess we go this way?”

“Great, first he takes my glasses and now he has us running like rats in a maze,” Silver Spoon grumbled. “Alright. I’m going through.”

“Right, see you on the other side!” Terriermon said as he crawled into the hole.

Meanwhile, Rumble and Bearmon met Piximon outside of the showers.

“Alright, we ready to start?” Piximon asked.

“I guess so,” Rumble shrugged. “Where are Silver Spoon and Terriermon?”

“Oh, I dropped them off at their training area. Now come on, we better get started with you two.”

Rumble and Bearmon followed Piximon down the dojo’s winding hallways. They soon arrived at a door emblazoned with a Yin Yang symbol. “Put your stuff in here for now,” Piximon gestured to a plastic bin next to the door. “Digivice, hat, belts, and that fancy little telescope thing on your head.”

Rumble and Bearmon looked to each other for a moment before complying. Rumble took off his Digivice and placed it in the bin, followed by his monocular. Bearmon took off his hat and unwrapped the belts around his paws, as well as the belt slung across his shoulder. Afterward, Piximon opened the door. Beyond it was a large room that housed two large white pods, separated by a paper sliding door.

“What are those supposed to be?” Rumble asked.

“These are sensory deprivation tanks,” Piximon explained as he opened a door at the top of one of the pods. The pod was half-filled with water that gave off a strong salty smell. “It places you in an environment that eliminates many of your external senses.”

“External senses?” Bearmon shuffled in place, wringing his paws.

Piximon nodded. “The tank is filled with saltwater so that you are able to float around, but unable to feel the bottom or sides of the tank. Once inside, the lights will turn off after a short amount of time, rendering you unable to see.”

“Oh, that’s real encouraging,” Rumble sardonically replied. “And how long are we going to be in these things?”

“About an hour,” Piximon said. “Without any distractions, I believe you’ll have an easier time meditating.”

Rumble eyed the two tanks with apprehension. They reminded him of coffins. And hearing that he was going to be spending an hour in there made him a little uneasy. He looked over to Bearmon, who was more nervous than he was. He fidgeted in place, shivering as he stared at the tanks. He kept eyeing the exit, as if the pods would come to life and swallow him whole.

“Hey, Bearmon?” Rumble placed a hoof on Bearmon’s arm, making him jump a little.

“I don’t wanna do this!” Bearmon reeled. “Floating around in the dark, not being able to feel anything? I’m scared!”

“Shh, shh...it’s okay. I’m kinda scared too, to be honest.”

“R-really?” Bearmon squeaked.

Rumble nodded. “But if this can help us out, we might as well give it a shot.”

Bearmon glanced back to the sensory deprivation tanks with a whimper.

“Hey, I’ll be right over here,” Rumble gestured to the tank closest to him. “I’ll be next to you the whole time.”

Bearmon squeezed Rumble’s hoof. “Well...okay then.”

Rumble patted Bearmon’s paw and smiled before turning to Piximon. “Alright, I think we’re ready.”

“Excellent,” Piximon flew over to a small table in the corner, returning with two pairs of earplugs. “Put these in and we can get started.”

After putting in the earplugs, Rumble climbed into the tank. The water was surprisingly warm, making him feel like he was stepping into a bathtub. But instead of sinking into the water, some unseen force kept pushing him up from below the water. Leaning back, he allowed himself to float.

“Hehe...cool,” Rumble smiled, marveling at the feeling of laying down on water. Across the room, he spotted Bearmon climbing into his tank. He chuckled as Bearmon got used to the buoyancy of the water. Bearmon looked back to Rumble with a nervous grin. Rumble managed to give him a quick smile before Piximon closed the divider between them.

“Alright, just lay back, relax, and remember what I taught you,” Piximon said as he gently closed the lid on Rumble’s tank.

Rumble looked around the smooth surface of the tank in the dim purple light. He then took a deep breath, wrinkling his nose at the smell of the saltwater. “Okay Rumble, just keep it cool. Take deep breaths. In...and out. In through the nose, and out through the mouth.” Rumble continued the exercise for the next few minutes. Then the lights began to dim until he was floating in darkness.

Silver Spoon and Terriermon entered the second room, which had a similar layout to the first one. This time, the puzzle was a large disk mounted on the other end of the room, broken up into rings. A barrier prevented Silver Spoon from getting close to it, leaving her unable to see it clearly.

“Hey Silver Spoon, what do you see down there?” Terriermon asked, his voice muffled.

“What did you say?” Silver Spoon asked back in a louder voice.

“I said, what do you see down there?!”

“I think I can see some kind of disk on the wall!”

“Okay, I see a remote sitting near you! Does it do anything?”

Silver Spoon picked up the remote, which was the size of a brick. In the center was a series of rings forming into a bullseye. Below that were three buttons. A circle flanked by two arrows pointing in opposite directions. Pressing the center button made a different ring light up on the remote. With the outermost ring lit up, Silver Spoon pressed the left arrow.

“Hey, the disk moved a bit,” Terriermon said.

“Huh?”

“I said the disk moved a bit!” Terriermon shouted. “The outer part of it moved a bit to the left!”

“You see anything on the disk?” Silver Spoon shouted back.

“Yeah! There’s some kind of pattern on it. Keep turning disks, I’ll direct you!”

Silver Spoon turned the various disks left and right as Terriermon shouted directions. It wasn’t easy on his throat. But eventually, Silver Spoon turned the last disk into place, forming an image of a blooming lotus. A part of the wall slid open, and the two ventured into another room.

In the center of the room, a pillar of light shined on a glass case sitting on top of a pedestal. Silver Spoon walked up to the case, smiling when she saw her glasses sitting inside. A set of two dials were set up on the pedestal. One had eight colors and the other showed eight environments such as a desert and a mountain.

“All right, we’re almost there Terriermon.” Her remark was met only with silence. “Terriermon? Come on, this isn’t funny!” she said, panic leaching into her voice. She looked around frantically, but couldn’t find any sign of him.

Above her, Terriermon banged on the glass tunnel, calling out to her at the top of his lungs. But it was ultimately futile. Not only was the tunnel in this room soundproof, but the glass was also shaded. This made it blend in with the shadowy areas of the ceiling. Terriermon could see Silver Spoon, but she couldn’t see him.

Silver Spoon was on the verge of tears. “How could Terriermon just ditch me like this, when I need him most?” she began to sob. She took a deep breath, shaking her head clear of those thoughts. “No, my partner wouldn’t ditch me. He’s gotta be here somewhere. But if I can’t hear him, how are supposed to talk to each oth—” She stopped in her tracks, staring off into space. Her expression grew more and more cross. “Piximon…” she said with an irritated sigh. “I REALLY do not care for you right now!”

Silver Spoon sat on the floor and closed her eyes. Creasing her eyebrows, she focused all her efforts on reaching out to Terriermon.

Rumble’s breathing began to quicken. He didn’t know how long he had been floating in the sensory deprivation tank. Going so long without seeing or hearing anything was starting to make him a little nervous. A part of him wanted to turn his head to try and look around. But another part of him was worried about what would happen if he splashed saltwater in his face. So instead, he lay on top of the water, ramrod straight.

Am I even on water? Rumble thought. He had gotten so used to the water beneath him that it felt like he was floating in a vacuum rather than on water. How long have I been in here? Am I dreaming? Am…am I even alive right now? Rumble’s thoughts began to go a mile a minute. W-what if Piximon did something to me? He made my wings vanish two weeks ago, what if he did the same to my legs? Do I still have my legs? Do I still have a body?

Rumble could feel his heart beating faster in his chest as he began to hyperventilate. Frantically, he glanced at the darkness, looking for the edge of the tank, looking for a way out. As he reached out into the inky blackness with an unseen hoof, the realization hit him.

My breathing! Rumble thought. He remembered Piximon’s words when they first started meditation. The one real thing that they knew existed was their own breathing. And in this tank of total darkness, that was one of the only things he could feel right now.

Rumble took a deep breath, feeling the air travel through his nose, and down into his chest. He then breathed out, feeling the air brush past his lips. He repeated this act, again and again, allowing himself to relax in the water. Once his breathing had slowed down, he turned his thoughts to Bearmon. As he reflected on his time spent with the timid little bear, he began to see colors swirl in front of him. It looked like a shifting version of something a four-year-old would make with hoof paints. Gradually the colors began to coalesce until an image became clear.

Rumble found himself on a mountaintop, surrounded by churning storm clouds. Ahead of him, he saw a wide ravine, a large rocky spire with a flat top stood between the two sides. Peering across the ravine, he saw a small dark shape on the edge of the opposing cliff side. Rumble squinted, trying to get a closer look, but couldn’t make heads or tails of what it could be. Cursing the fact that he didn’t have his monocular or wings, he looked around for a path to the other side.

To his right, on a nearby tree, he found a grappling hook and rope. He grabbed the hook and rope and took position at the edge of the cliff. He twirled the end with the hook, building up momentum for a few moments before throwing it. The hook soared across the ravine, grabbing onto a tree limb on the spire. Rumble tied the other end to the nearby tree, testing the rope before shimmying across.

The wind buffeted against him, and the storm clouds continued to churn around him. But Rumble kept pushing forward until he reached the spire. Pulling himself up, he took another look across the ravine. On the other side of the chasm, he spotted Bearmon huddled in a fetal position.

“Bearmon!” Rumble called out.

Bearmon looked up, slowly picking himself up. “Rumble?” he called back.

Rumble looked around for something to help him reach Bearmon, but couldn’t find anything. “I can’t reach you. You’ll have to come to me. Is there anything over there you can use to cross?”

Bearmon looked around until he found a grappling hook behind a large rock.

“Yeah, there you go! Throw the hook over here!”

“Um…okay,” Bearmon nodded. He threw the hook across the ravine, landing it near Rumble. Rumble picked up the grappling hook and hooked it on the same tree he used to cross.

“Alright!” Rumble nodded. “Now tie the other end on something over there and come over towards me!”

Bearmon tied the other end of the rope to the large rock he found it at and shuffled towards the cliff. He eyed the rope and the vast distance between them. “I…I-I don’t know if I can do this,” Bearmon whimpered.

The sky around them grew angrier. The wind began to pick up, and distant thunder rumbled.

“Yes, you can. Look, don’t worry about anything else right now. Forget the storm and the ravine. Just focus on getting to me.”

Bearmon looked up to Rumble, tentatively grabbing onto the rope.

“You can do it, buddy.”

Bearmon nodded and began making his way across the rope. The going was slow, and any strong gust of wind made him freeze in place. But Rumble kept talking to him, giving words of encouragement. Eventually, Bearmon made it to the other side.

“See, you did it!” Rumble cheered as he helped him up.

Bearmon stood shakily, keeping his grip on Rumble. “I…I did it,” he whispered. A chuckle escaped his throat as a smile slowly grew on his face. “I did it!”

Rumble was wrapped into a bear hug faster than he could blink. “I knew you could big guy,” Rumble smiled, returning the hug.

As the two sat there on the spire, the skies began to clear. The sun broke through the clouds, warming the two friends.

Silver Spoon’s face was scrunched up into an expression of pure concentration. From an outsider’s perspective, it looked more like she was holding her breath while sucking on a lemon.

“Come on...come on!” she grumbled to herself, squeezing her shut eyes even tighter. Sweat began to drip down her forehead. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears. “Gah! Come on!” she shouted, throwing her forelegs up as she fell onto her back.

Silver Spoon glanced towards the glass case, taunting her with her out of reach glasses. With a heavy sigh, she shifted her gaze to the blurry ceiling. “Why can’t I do this?” she asked. “Am I focusing on the wrong thing?”

Silver Spoon thought back to Piximon’s meditation lessons. None of what he said made any sense to her. How am I supposed to clear my head and think of Terriermon at the same time? she thought. I can’t just empty my head of all my thoughts. And definitely not in a stressful situation like this. How am I supposed to stay focused on using telepathy with my partner if I’m not even sure he’s still in the room with me!

“Forget the telepathy, this has never been about that. This is about finding the connection you share with Terriermon.” Piximon’s words echoed in her head.

“The connection we share…” Silver Spoon repeated. “But what does that mean? I know we’re partners, but focusing on that doesn’t seem to be—” Silver Spoon froze. She thought back to the time when everyone fell into that pit back in Rosetown. When she had trouble getting up to the cliff, Terriermon jumped back down and helped her. But looking back, it didn’t feel like he did it out of a sense of obligation. More like because he saw how much trouble she was having, and wanted to help her. Even if that meant jumping back down into a pit he just escaped from.

“No, not just partners...friends,” Silver Spoon smiled. “Wait...the connection we share. Connection, like our friendship? Is it that simple?”

Silver Spoon sat up, taking a moment to think about her possible breakthrough. “Well, only one way to find out.” She crossed her legs into a lotus position and closed her eyes. She focused on Terriermon’s smile, his laugh, how they met at Mt. Panorama, and the times he fought. She brushed any other thoughts aside, letting them drift past her like a stream. And whenever the doubt threatened to creep up on her, one word served as her anchor.

“Moumentai,” she whispered.

When she opened her eyes again, Silver Spoon found herself in a ruined temple, surrounded by fog. “Okay...this is new,” she said. Slowly, she wandered through the temple. As she walked, she looked around at the intricate designs on the stonework. Most of it was eroded though, or overrun by vines and moss.

After a while, she arrived in a massive room divided by a massive sinkhole. Peering over the edge, she shuddered when she couldn’t even see the bottom. Scattered throughout the sinkhole, massive pillars stood up from the bottom. Towards the center, a large shrine still stood above the hole.

As Silver Spoon thought about turning back, she spotted a small white shape sitting on the shrine. “Terriermon!” she shouted.

Terriermon turned towards Silver Spoon. “Silver Spoon, there you are!”

Silver Spoon looked around, trying to find a way over to the shrine. To her right, she spotted a pillar close to the edge. Like much of the surrounding temple, it looked on the verge of crumbling.

“Um, Sil?” Terriermon called as she scampered over to the pillar. “What are you doing?”

Silver Spoon stood on her hind legs and pressed against the pillar. “Improvising!” she grunted. “If I can make this thing fall over, then I’ll have a bridge to get over there.”

“Uh...that’s kind of a long shot.”

Silver Spoon dug her hooves into the ground and pushed. She pushed the pillar with all her might. But no matter how hard she tried, it wouldn’t budge.

“Okay...that’s not gonna work,” Silver Spoon slumped against the pillar.

“Just jump across the pillars,” Terriermon said. “Look, I can even see a straight path right here.”

Silver Spoon looked over to where Terriermon was gesturing. One of the ruined pillars standing from the bottom of the hole was within jumping distance. And the top of the pillar made an ideal platform. And the next two beyond that looked manageable too. But then she spotted the last pillar before the shrine, and her heart sank. “I don’t think I can make that last jump!”

Terriermon looked to the pillar in question and bit his lip. “Well, you’re gonna have to try. I can’t get over there from here.”

“Why not?”

Terriermon picked up a pebble and tossed it to Silver Spoon. A strong wind blew through the temple, sending it right back to Terriermon’s feet. “That’s why,” he said flatly, pointing to the pebble.

Silver Spoon scratched the back of her head as she weighed her options. Her gaze shifted from the pillar next to her to the ones in the sinkhole. After wandering back and forth a few times, she stopped and gazed at the pillars in the hole. “I can’t force my way across…” she whispered. She took a step back, noting the other sunken pillars.

“Sil?”

After a few moments, Silver Spoon began walking to the far left side of the hole. “I think I see another path across. It’s a bit longer, but I think I can manage it.” Stopping at the edge of the pit, she eyed the pillar closest to her. After taking a moment to muster up her courage, she jumped onto the pillar. Feeling more confident, she jumped onto the next few pillars. Taking a moment to plan her route, she continued her winding journey across the sinkhole. Soon she was flowing from one pillar to the next without a moment’s hesitation.

When Silver Spoon finally made it to the shrine, she ran straight for her partner. “Haha! I did it!” she cheered as she scooped up Terriermon in a big hug.

Terriermon gave her a playful jab. “Took you long enough, you stubborn pony.”

Silver Spoon gave him a noogie. “I prefer to think of it as fashionably late.”

Silver Spoon opened her eyes again, her head feeling clearer than before. “Terriermon, can you hear me?” she thought.

After a couple of moments, she heard Terriermon’s voice ringing in her head. “Yeah I can hear you. Listen, there are a couple of clues up here. They say Sky A and Green B.”

“I think I understand what that means.” Silver Spoon walked up to the two dials. On the first, she turned it to an image of a clear blue sky. And on the second dial, she turned it to the color green. Once they both clicked into place, the case opened up. Silver Spoon walked up to the pedestal and gingerly picked up her glasses. The moment she put them on, she heard the pitter-patter of small feet running towards her.

“You did it!” Terriermon leaped onto Silver Spoon, sending them tumbling to the ground in a fit of laughter.

“We did it,” Silver Spoon corrected, adjusting her glasses with a smile. “I couldn’t have done any of this without you, Terriermon.”

“Aw...come here ya stubborn pony,” Terriermon wrapped Silver Spoon in a hug, using both his arms and massive ears. Silver Spoon returned the embrace, gently nuzzling his cheek.

Looking over his shoulder, Silver Spoon saw the darkened glass of the tube Terriermon was in. Towards the end, a part of the side had opened up, allowing him to escape. Towards the back of the room, an open doorway led to a staircase leading up.

“Come on, what do you say we get out of here?” Silver Spoon asked.

But Terriermon didn’t loosen his grip. “Can it wait a few more minutes?”

Silver Spoon closed her eyes with a chuckle. “Okay, sure.”

The next morning, Silver Spoon and Rumble shared stories of their training with the rest of the gang. Afterward, the conversation shifted to how everyone connected with their partners. Apple Bloom quietly ate her breakfast as everyone talked.

“So, you were in some kind of foggy temple?” Babs asked. “That’s cool.”

“Yeah, what did yours look like? A park?” Silver Spoon asked.

“Yeah, Pinto Park. I go there with my friends and family all the time. Except it was deserted and overgrown. Took a while to find Veemon goin’ through that mess, let me tell ya.”

Diamond Tiara sat next to Silver Spoon with a plate full of fruit and toast. “I still can’t believe Piximon had you go through all that without your glasses!”

“At least you could kinda see what was happening around you,” Rumble piped in. “Floating around in that tank wasn’t exactly my idea of a good time.”

“Ya know I think I heard my sista’s friend talkin’ about doing something like that at a spa or somethin’,” Babs Seed said.

“I can’t imagine why somepony would volunteer to do something like that,” Scootaloo said.

As the conversation went on, Piximon fluttered into the room. “So, how is everyone doing this morning? Good?”

“Great!” Armadillomon lifted his face from his plate, licking his lips. “These omelets really hit the spot!”

“Glad you enjoy them.” Piximon hovered at the center of the table. “Look at you all. I almost find it hard to believe you were the sad lot of wanderers I found collapsed in the desert a couple of weeks back. But now that you’ve completed your training, I know you all have what it takes to face whatever lies ahead.”

Everyone cheered, giving each other high fives, hooves, or paws. Glasses of milk and orange juice were raised in unorganized toasts to each other’s success.

“Before you all leave, I have a few parting gifts for you.” Piximon rounded the corner and brought back a box. Inside were a few days worth of rations, extra canteens, and a map showing the northwestern part of Server. “I’ve marked a path through the desert for you,” Piximon pointed to a red dotted line. “And I’ve also marked places for you all to stop and camp. If you keep a decent pace, you should be able to make it to Scrap City at the northern edge of the desert.”

“Thank you so much Piximon,” Silver Spoon smiled as she started sorting out the new gear.

“Oh, one more thing,” Piximon twirled his spear in the air before tapping it on the ground.

Rumble and Scootaloo felt a tingling sensation along their backs. Looking back, smiles broke across their faces as their wings appeared in a burst of pixels.

“Oh wow! I never thought I’d miss these little guys so much!” Scootaloo fluttered her tiny wings, making her hover in the air for a few moments.

“Woohoo!” Rumble cheered as he did loop de loops around the room.

After breakfast, Piximon led the DigiDestined down the mountain, and towards the treeline. Everyone stared out into the desert with trepidation.

“Well, this is where we part ways,” Piximon said. “I hope you’ll take what you’ve learned here, and use it to become the heroes the DigiDestined are meant to be. And I hope you stick to the route I marked out for you because I won’t be around to save your sorry tails again. You understand me numbskulls?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Rumble rolled his eyes. “Stick to the trail, rest at the stops, stay away from cactuses.”

“It was one time!” Sweetie Belle shouted, making everyone laugh.

Veemon stepped up to Piximon and did a short bow. “Thank you Piximon, for everything. This whole experience has been...incredible.”

“For sure…” Babs Seed nodded. “Thank you, Mr. Piximon.”

Everyone gave their thanks, making Piximon blush. “Well, I think that’s enough chit-chat. You’re burning daylight.” Piximon used his spear to pull the invisible barrier aside like a curtain. “Good luck out there.”

Apple Bloom gazed out into the desert. No pony or Digimon had good memories of that place. And feeling the heat across her face was bringing them all back with a vengeance. Part of her wanted to stay at Piximon’s place. Sure, he could be a bit pushy, and they’d probably be working the whole time they were there. But it was still safer than wandering out into the desert again, right?

“Apple Bloom?” Armadillomon’s voice echoed in her head. She looked down at her partner, who stared back with a smile. “We got this. We’re stronger, and we’re ready this time!”

Apple Bloom nodded with a wink. “Darn tootin’!”

“Alrighty ya’ll, let’s get movin’!” Apple Bloom said, leading the way out into the desert.

“Onwards, to Scrap City and out of this oversized sandbox!” Scootaloo cheered, prompting laughs from everyone.

None of them noticed the Gizumon lurking beneath the sand a few yards away.

Mephistomon grinned as he watched the live feed from the Gizumon. “Gotcha…” he scoffed, turning to NeoDevimon. “They’re on their way to Scrap City, on the northern end of the desert.”

NeoDevimon nodded. He then turned to Tapirmon, who was hovering nearby. “You know your mission. Shadow the DigiDestined, and infiltrate their dreams. Uncover as much as you can about their world. Report back to me through the Gizumon, I want daily reports.”

“I will not fail you, my master,” Tapirmon bowed.

Chapter 16: A City of Scavengers, Scum, and Smiths

View Online

Sweetie Belle wiped the sweat off her brow, looking up at the desert sun as it continued to beat down on her and her friends. For the past few days, the group had been using Piximon’s map to get through the desert safely. They would venture to one of the marked areas during the early morning hours. Then they would stop and rest in the shade for the afternoon. As the sun began its descent, they would make their way to another marked area and set up camp for the night.

This extended the duration of their journey, but by using this method, they had been able to avoid the worst of the sun’s heat. Sweetie Belle guessed that they had Piximon’s rigorous training to thank for their endurance. As she reflected on the arduous journey, something caught her eye in the distance.

“Hey, anypony else see something over there?” Sweetie Belle pointed towards something in the distance. After seeing their fair share of mirages, everyone developed a habit of asking others to confirm certain sights, which sometimes turned into a strange version of I Spy. “Looks like a junkyard over there. A really big junkyard.”

Rumble trotted up beside Sweetie Belle and flipped down his monocular. “Hmm...yeah, that looks about right.” He flipped the scope back up to his camo headband. “You think that’s Scrap City?”

Sweetie Belle held Piximon’s map with her magic, comparing it to the one projected by her Digivice. “I think so. According to Piximon’s map, we should be there right about now.”

“You mean we’re finally getting out of this desert?” Diamond Tiara smiled. “Thank Celestia!”

With renewed vigor, everyone marched towards the distant junkyard. As they drew closer, the distant scrap field expanded. Stacks of metal formed hills and pillars as far as the eye could see. The wind whistled around the metallic mountains, wrapping through the corridors.

As the ponies walked through the scrap yard with their Digimon partners, they saw mountains of wrecked metal carriages stacked atop one another. Beyond these mountains sat rows and rows of strange vehicles, which the ponies could only describe as metal birds. These birds stood on three large wheels and ranged from smaller ones that had a few seats, to longer, more fancy looking versions. As they walked on, they came across a few massive birds, with two smaller cylinders hanging beneath their wings.

“What are these things? They’re huge!” Scootaloo said in awe as she climbed up a rickety stairway towards an opening in the side of the bird. Inside sat rows of once comfortable seats, now mostly faded away by the passage of time. The walls were lined with small windows, about the size of the ponies’ heads. In the front of the bird were two seats situated before a large console filled with screens and buttons, which had gone dark ages ago.

“What is this thing?” Babs Seed came up behind Scootaloo with a few of the others to look around. “It kinda looks like a train in here,” Babs Seed sunk a hoof into one of the seats.

“Was this thing supposed to fly?” Scootaloo asked. “How does something this big get off the ground?”

Everyone turned to Silver Spoon, who was emerging from the cabin in front of the bird. She stopped for a moment when she felt everyone’s eyes on her. “What?” she asked.

“How does something like this fly?” Scootaloo asked. “Can it even fly?”

“Why are you asking me?” Silver Spoon asked.

“Well, you’re our group’s resident nerd.”

“And what, that means I’m supposed to know everything?!” Silver Spoon asked angrily.

Scootaloo flinched. “Um...maybe?”

“Wow...how presumptuous of you,” Silver Spoon deadpanned.

“Um...thank you?” Scootaloo smiled.

Silver Spoon shook her head with a sigh and turned towards the door. Before leaving, she turned back to Scootaloo with a glare. “And another thing: don’t call me a nerd!” With a flip of her hair, she stormed out of the bird.

“Sheesh...touchy,” Sweetie Belle heard Palmon’s voice echo in her mind.

Sweetie Belle looked over to Palmon, who looked concerned. “Yeah...you can say that again.”

“Huh...presumptuous,” Scootaloo smiled. “I’ve never been called that before. That’s good, right?”

Sweetie Belle sighed and walked towards the door.

Scootaloo’s smile faded. “Wait, it’s not good? What does it mean? Hey! What does that mean?!”

As Sweetie Belle climbed down the stairs to rejoin the others, a loud clanging noise drew her attention.

“What does presumptuous mean?!” Scootaloo cried out behind her.

“Shh!” Sweetie Belle put her hoof up. “Listen!”

The sound of clanking metal came from one of the smaller birds. Sweetie Belle signaled for everyone else to follow her as she crept towards the metal bird. As she got closer, she caught glimpses of bits and pieces of scrap being tossed from the door onto a small wagon. A cute little dinosaur Digimon made of colorful building blocks emerged from the bird to inspect its loot.

As the Digimon waddled around its wagon, Sweetie Belle booted up her Digivice analyzer.

Name: ToyAgumon
Level: Rookie
Attribute: Vaccine
Attacks:
Toy Flame
Block Punch

“A Rookie level Digimon,” Sweetie Belle turned to Palmon while signaling the others to stop. “I’m going to talk to him, see if he can give us directions.”

“Okay, be careful,” Palmon quietly nodded.

Sweetie Belle trotted up to ToyAgumon, who was still inspecting his loot. “Um, excuse me?”

ToyAgumon whipped around. “GAAAAH!” he screamed, leaping into the air. As he hit the ground, his body shattered into a pile of toy blocks.

Sweetie Belle stared at the remains of ToyAgumon in horror.

“Holy smokes…” Apple Bloom muttered, bringing a hoof to her mouth.

“You scared him to pieces…” Rumble breathed. “You ACTUALLY scared him to pieces!”

As Sweetie Belle struggled for words, the toy blocks that lay at her hooves began to shift in the dirt, tumbling towards a single point. Everyone watched in amazement as the bricks stacked themselves together to rebuild ToyAgumon.

“Don’t sneak up on someone like that!” the rebuilt ToyAgumon said with a shiver.

“Sorry,” Sweetie Belle blushed. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Eh, it’s okay. No harm done really,” ToyAgumon chuckled as he dusted himself off. “My name’s ToyAgumon. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too. I’m Sweetie Belle, and these are my friends.” Sweetie Belle went around and let the others introduce themselves. Afterward, Babs Seed raised her hoof.

“Um, ‘scuse me? Is this Scrap City?”

“Well, not quite. The city itself is further in that way,” ToyAgumon gestured deeper into the scrap yard. He grabbed the handle of his wagon with a sigh. “I was thinking of heading back if you want to tag along. I don’t think I’m going to get anything more from this heap,” he gestured towards the small metal bird.

“Do you need any help with that?” Apple Bloom offered as ToyAgumon covered his loot with a canvas blanket.

“No, I think I’ve got it,” ToyAgumon said as he tied down the blanket. “It’s not exactly a big haul, so I should be able to—”

ToyAgumon froze, his eyes darting between the scrap hills.

“Should be able to...what?” Scootaloo asked.

“Shh!” ToyAgumon put a claw up, not taking his eyes off the scrap piles. “Anyone else hear that?”

Everyone stood still, listening to the wind whistling around them.

“I don’t hear anything,” Terriermon shrugged.

“Must’ve been a loose piece of metal or something,” ToyAgumon picked up the wagon handle. “Okay, follow me. Stay close, keep your voices down, and if you see anyone else following us let me know.”

“Why would anyone be following us?” Diamond Tiara looked over her shoulder.

“And why are you out here collecting a bunch of junk?” Silver Spoon asked. “What’s so important about it?”

“Let’s get to the city first, we’ll be a lot safer there,” ToyAgumon nervously looked around.

“Okay, okay…” Sweetie Belle gestured for everyone to calm down. “We’ll keep quiet and follow you.”

“Okay, good,” ToyAgumon stopped shaking a little. “Once we get back, my friends and I will answer any questions you’ve got.” Without another word he ventured off into the scrap yards, pulling his wagon, with the DigiDestined behind him.

The entire trip was filled with an uneasy silence. Everyone was on high alert, but they weren’t quite sure what to look for. ToyAgumon wasn’t much help in identifying the unseen threat and wasn’t up for any conversation in general. Anything above a whisper was quickly shushed by him. And at several points, he had everyone stand still and not make a sound. They would hold this position until ToyAgumon was sure that no one was around the corner or behind them.

After what seemed like an eternity and a half, they arrived at a large wall stacked with sheets of welded metal. In the center of the wall sat an old portcullis, which rose with the sound of creaky gears and belts. The inside of the wall was filled with the sounds of the hustle and bustle that accompanied city streets. The sounds of clanging metal and the smell of burning fuel filled the air.

“Welcome to Scrap City!” ToyAgumon spread his claws out.

Everyone took in the sights and wrinkled their noses at some of the smells.

“It stinks here,” Guilmon covered his nose.

“And it’s loud too!” Terriermon grabbed his ears.

Babs Seed stood up on her hind legs and spun around with a smile on her face. “Oh, it’s just like home!”

A crash and a scream made everyone turn to see a Digimon come flying out of a building and land in the dirt several yards away. Another large, angry Digimon stomped out of the door. “You don’t come back until you can pay your tab. You hear me slime?!”

“‘Cept maybe not quite as rough,” Babs Seed said, planting all four hooves back on the ground.

“Yeah...that’s Scrap City in a nutshell,” ToyAgumon nodded. “Come on, follow me. We can get something to eat on the way to the Guild headquarters.”

“Guild headquarters?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Yep, the White Flame Guild,” ToyAgumon nodded. “We search the scrap fields in No ‘Mon’s Land to find remnants of old technology, then bring them back here to reassemble and sell. We also fulfill commissions on other odds and ends that Digimon need.”

As they walked through the crowded streets, they passed by several large statues made of scrap. All of them were armed with massive weapons ranging from battleaxes, swords, and advanced looking crossbows. Despite being made of scrap, they still held certain elegance. They looked like massive steampunk knights, ready to cut anyone down at a moment’s notice. They were impressive, no doubt. But something about them gave Sweetie Belle the creeps.

“Oh, here’s my favorite noodle stand,” ToyAgumon pointed to a vendor just ahead. “Who’s hungry?”

“Oh, me!” Armadillomon raised his paw.

“Yeah, I feel like I could eat a horse,” Terriermon said.

“Excuse me?” Silver Spoon shot him a glare.

“I said I feel like I could eat a full course,” Terriermon sweated.

“That’s what I thought you said,” Silver Spoon stared at him with narrowed eyes.

ToyAgumon led them to the stand, where everyone ordered their bowls of ramen noodles and sat down at an old picnic table. The ponies ordered vegetarian versions of the strange dish, and it was enjoyed better by some more than others.

“Wow, this sure has a bit of a bite to it, don’t it?” Apple Bloom said, quickly grabbing a cup of water.

“It is pretty spicy,” Armadillomon nodded.

“I feel like they could’ve eased up on the salt,” Diamond Tiara stirred her noodles.

Sweetie Belle glanced at another steel statue a few yards away. “So, what’s with the statues?”

“Oh, those are the Sentinels,” ToyAgumon said before eating more noodles. “They watch over the city.”

“What do you mean? Like, symbolically?” Silver Spoon eyed the statue and its massive broadsword.

“Well—”

“Hey short stuff!” a voice shouted behind him.

“AAAAAHHH!” ToyAgumon leaped into the air with a scream, coming back down in several pieces.

Everyone turned to find a small gang of Goblimon laughing behind them. Every one of them wore dark orange armbands emblazoned with a black swirl pattern.“Gets him every time!” one of them laughed, wiping a tear from his eye.

“What’s your problem?” Scootaloo stood up.

“What? We’re just messing around,” the lead Goblimon shrugged.

“And this is your idea of a good time?” Babs Seed gestured to the pile of toy bricks where ToyAgumon was.

“Hey, all the more reason to do it. The hatchling needs to develop a proper wireframe. Maybe then he wouldn’t have such massive breakdowns.” The Goblimon guffawed. “And you know, it’s only fair that we get some kind of...compensation for our help, right?” he asked as he sauntered over to ToyAgumon’s wagon. “So, why don’t we see what you found out there?”

“Hey! Get away from there!” Scootaloo shouted. “That’s ToyAgumon’s stuff, you can’t just steal it!”

“I’m not ‘stealing’ anything,” Goblimon said. “This is compensation for services.”

Veemon looked to Babs Seed, who gave a curt nod. He pushed his ramen bowl to the side and walked over to the Goblimon. “I got some compensation for you right here,” Veemon said before punching the lead Goblimon in the gut.

“Oh ho!” Goblimon chuckled as he picked himself up. “Looks like we’ve got ourselves a tough guy here.”

“Oh, I just thought I’d be doing you a favor,” Veemon cracked his knuckles. “Since you can’t pick on Digimon your own size, I figured I’d help you develop more of a spine!”

Babs Seed turned to the ramen vendor. “Hey chief, ya got any ice back there?”

“HA! That’s hilarious!” Goblimon chuckled before slugging Veemon in the face.

As the two continued trading blows, other passing Digimon moved quickly down the streets or watched the fight from a long distance. Even the vendor hid behind his cart.

“What’s everyone hiding from?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“I...have a few guesses,” Palmon shakenly pointed to the Sentinel across the street, whose eyes were glowing blue.

With a hiss of steam and grinding of gears, the statue began to move. The two Digimon were too busy fighting to notice it marching towards them. Veemon had pinned Goblimon to the ground when the Sentinel slammed its sword into the earth, shaking their surroundings.

“YOU ARE IN VIOLATION OF ARTICLE THREE OF THE ARMISTICE!” the Sentinel boomed in a robotic tone. “CEASE HOSTILITIES OR BE DELETED!”

Veemon stared at the statue, his fist raised to pummel Goblimon.

“V-Veemon?” Babs Seed stuttered. “Just...get off the jerk and come here.”

Veemon looked from Babs Seed to Goblimon, to the massive Sentinel ready to crush him at a moment’s notice. Reluctantly, he released Goblimon and walked towards his partner, keeping his hands up and eyes on the Sentinel.

After a few tense moments, the Sentinel sheathed its weapon and marched back to its pedestal.

“Hey boss?” one of the Goblimon said to their leader. “We should get going.”

“Yeah...right,” the lead Goblimon picked himself up. He turned to Veemon with a glare. “You best pray I don’t catch you wanderin’ No ‘Mon’s Land. ‘Cause I guarantee the last thing you’ll see is my club meeting your face!” he growled, spitting at Veemon’s feet.

As Veemon returned to the table, activity in the city streets went on like nothing had happened.

“So...that happened,” Scootaloo shivered. “Those statues, is that what you meant when you said they watch over the city?”

A series of clicks announced ToyAgumon’s reconstruction. “Y-yes,” he said as he snapped his head back into place. “The Sentinels keep the peace in Scrap City, by any means necessary.”

“Did that statue say something about an armi-something?” Diamond Tiara asked.

“Yes, the Armistice. It’s a city-wide agreement that prevents Digimon from fighting,” ToyAgumon stared into his noodle bowl. “You see, Scrap City was originally founded by a small group of wandering blacksmiths and traders. They saw the surrounding scrap metal and believed they could salvage some of the more complex technology. The scrap also provided a lot of raw material for them to practice their craft. They would build complex machinery and other such goods, then sell them to passing traders or send them to other neighboring towns.

“As the city grew and Digimon began forming guilds, the businesses here grew more and more aggressive. Guilds began to fight over parts of the scrap fields. Rival workshops would get robbed; fights would break out into the streets. From what I hear, if less than three fights happened, it was considered a quiet day.

“The founders of the city realized that if things didn’t change, the city would tear itself apart. They needed rules to keep the peace, and enforcers to uphold those rules. So they introduced a city-wide pact, known as The Armistice. Without going into the fancy wording, it essentially states that Digimon in Scrap City can’t fight each other without a good reason.”

“And what qualifies as a good reason around here?” Hawkmon asked.

“Well, say one Digimon posed a threat to the entire city,” ToyAgumon said. “Other Digimon would be allowed to fight the threatening Digimon because it would be seen as protecting the city.”

“And these Sentinels are the enforcers of the Armistice?” Hawkmon looked at the imposing statue.

ToyAgumon nodded. “The founders needed enforcers that could respond at a moment’s notice, that couldn’t be overpowered or corrupted by other Digimon. Believe it or not, I’ve seen one of those things go toe to toe with an Ultimate level Digimon. The whole battle was over in a minute.”

Veemon gulped.

“Here’s the thing,” ToyAgumon finished his bowl of ramen with a sigh. “The Armistice only applies to Digimon inside the city walls. Out there in the scrap fields, anything goes. That’s why everyone here tends to call it No ‘Mon’s Land.”

“So that’s why you were jumpin’ at shadows back here,” Apple Bloom said.

“Yeah…I’m not exactly the strongest member of my guild. Or the city…” ToyAgumon stared at his empty bowl for a moment before hopping off his seat. “Everyone done? Let’s head to the guildhall.”

ToyAgumon led everyone through the winding streets of Scrap City until they arrived at a massive building with a large chimney. On the front was a white metal insignia in the shape of a flame. Two Sentinels flanked the front entryway.

ToyAgumon slowly opened the front door and peeked inside. Sounds of hammers and machinery leaked from the building. “Okay, come on in,” ToyAgumon grabbed his wagon and quickly pulled it inside.

“What’s the problem now?” Diamond Tiara asked. “You’re not going to get attacked inside the city, right?”

“Well, the thing is...I wasn’t exactly supposed to be out in No ‘Mon’s Land,” ToyAgumon whispered.

“Darn right you weren’t!” a rough voice rang out. A Gazimon came from around the corner, bearing down on ToyAgumon with fire in his eyes. “What were you thinking? You think you can just wander off into No ‘Mon’s Land like you’re going for a stroll down the street?!”

“Is ToyAgumon back?” another Gazimon called from a catwalk above them. “What’s in the wagon?” he asked, lowering his retro-style sunglasses. “Please tell me he wasn’t digging in the scrap fields on his own.”

“I-I wasn’t far!” ToyAgumon protested. “I was in the airplane graveyard. We needed the circuits for that—”

“Stop! Just stop!” the Gazimon put his paw up. He adjusted the sling bag across his back, showing a skull emblazoned on the strap. “Did you just forget the rules we have here?”

“What’s going on here?” a much larger machine Digimon emerged from an office.

“Guild master Guardromon!” the sling bag wearing Gazimon, who Sweetie Belle nicknamed Skull, stood up straight. “ToyAgumon came back from his little ‘shopping trip.’ Turns out he was digging in No ‘Mon’s Land.”

Sweetie Belle switched on her Digivice’s analyzer while they talked.

Name: Guardromon
Level: Champion
Attribute: Data
Attacks:
Grenade Destroyer
Warning Laser

“Is this true ToyAgumon?” Guardromon asked.

“Yes sir,” ToyAgumon nodded bashfully. “I was in the airplane graveyard. It was pretty close and we needed the parts.”

Guardromon lifted away the tarp on ToyAgumon’s wagon. “Not a bad haul,” he nodded. “But going out there on your own is still risky. There’s a reason why we send out groups of Digimon on scavenging runs.”

“I just...wanted to help,” ToyAgumon slouched.

“And you do help,” Guardromon nodded. “But acting recklessly like that isn’t going to prove anything.” He glanced up towards the entrance, where the ponies watched silently. “And who are these strangers you’ve brought with you?”

“Oh, we met out in No ‘Mon’s Land. They were heading towards the city and wanted to know what I was doing. I was wondering if I could show them around a bit.”

“Show them around?” the Gazimon wearing sunglasses, who Sweetie Belle nicknamed Shades, leaped down from the catwalk to land in front of the DigiDestined. “And how do you know they’re not spies from one of our rivals? They could be working with the Black Ashes Cartel for all you know!”

“That gang of Goblimon? Employing spies?” Skull asked. “I think you’re giving them a little too much credit.”

“Enough!” Guardromon shouted. “ToyAgumon, if you trust them enough you can give them a quick tour of your station. Then I expect you to get back to work.”

“Yes, sir!” ToyAgumon saluted.

Guardromon turned to the Gazimon. “You two sort through this payload and deliver it to the appropriate stations. I’ll be in my office if anyone needs me.”

“Yes sir,” the Gazimon grumbled.

“Come on,” ToyAgumon led the group to a bin full of hard hats and earmuffs and passed them around. “Safety first.”

“Great, now I’m going to get helmet hair,” Diamond Tiara grumbled as she slipped the yellow hard hat on.

Once everyone was wearing their protective gear, ToyAgumon led them deeper into the guildhall. They passed by rows of conveyor belts feeding bits and pieces of scrap metal into large machines, where they were crushed, flattened, or melted down. ToyAgumon walked up to one of these machines, manned by a Digimon that looked like a large gear with a face on it, and had two silver gears for arms.

“Well, this forge is my station,” ToyAgumon said. His voice rang clearly through the earmuffs, while the noise from the surrounding machinery was muffled. “Over there is my partner, Hagurumon.”

Hagurumon smiled. “How do you do?” he said in a creepy, monotone voice.

“Here we use the raw material we’ve gathered to manufacture parts for machines or fulfill certain metalworking commissions. Metal signs, ceremonial weapons, insignias, that sort of thing,” ToyAgumon explained.

“Speaking of which, is the mold for The Royal Garden ready?” Hagurumon asked.

“I put the finishing touches on it last night,” ToyAgumon nodded.

“Excellent. Why don’t you go get it while I fire up the crucible?” Hagurumon hovered over to the machine and began turning valves. Steam hissed through pipes, and a motor hummed to life as an orange glow began to emanate from beneath a massive metal bucket.

ToyAgumon led the ponies to a large worktable littered with tools and scrap metal. In the center was a large mold in the shape of an elegant rose. Below it, “The Royal Garden” was emblazoned in Digicode.

“This was a commission from some up and coming inn in Rosetown,” ToyAgumon explained.

“We stayed there a few weeks ago,” Apple Bloom smiled. “It’s a nice place.”

“What’s all this stuff here?” Silver Spoon pointed to a nearby table piled with bits and pieces of junk.

“Oh, that?” ToyAgumon rubbed the back of his head. “That’s a little hobby of mine. The guild master lets me collect some of the more interesting pieces that no one will buy. He lets me restore them, figure out their purpose.”

Silver Spoon’s eyes were drawn to one particular item on the table. It looked like an ornate safe with several symmetrical indents and copper plates lining the edges. But there was no combination dial or visible keyhole. The only thing she could spot was a closed metal iris on the front.

“What’s this?” Silver Spoon asked.

“I’m not sure,” ToyAgumon shrugged while he put on a tool belt. “I found that buried in an old bunker. Can’t seem to figure out how to open it and the metal’s too strong to cut with a blow torch. The only thing I could find relating to it is that slip of paper in the envelope on top.”

Silver Spoon stood on the tips of her hind legs and felt around the top of the strange lockbox until she felt an envelope. She pulled out a slip of paper from it and read the contents aloud. “Feed me and I will grow. But give me water, and I will die.”

“Huh?” Terriermon tilted his head. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Silver Spoon looked at the lockbox, scanning each detail with a meticulous eye. Along the bottom of the strongbox, she could see a symbol engraved on a bronze plate on each leg. There was an image of a mountain, a raindrop, a gust of wind, and a flame.

With a smirk on her face, Silver Spoon pressed the bronze plate with the picture of a flame. The box produced a series of clicks, and a small compartment opened to reveal a key.

“How’d you do that?” ToyAgumon asked.

“You feed a fire, it’ll grow. But if you give it water…” Silver Spoon made a hissing noise while slowly lowering her hoof.

“Huh, just like Piximon’s place, right?” Terriermon smiled.

“Please, this box has nothing on the stuff he threw at us,” Silver Spoon grabbed the key. “Now...where does this go?”

Terriermon hopped onto the table and walked around the box.

“Hey, be careful!” ToyAgumon protested. “There are a lot of delicate pieces on there.”

Terriermon felt along the surface of the box until he felt a tiny panel slide open beneath his paw to reveal a keyhole. “Hey, I think I found something here.”

Silver Spoon inserted the key and turned it. As she turned it, the metal iris opened with a screech, revealing a small disk puzzle. While she toyed with that, another piece drew Apple Bloom’s attention. A few pieces of an incomplete mold sat nearby.

“What’s this here?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Not quite sure,” ToyAgumon said. “I found bits and pieces of it scattered throughout the scrap fields. I think it might be some ancient guild insignia, maybe even belonging to one of the founders of Scrap City!”

“NEEEEEEERD!” Skull called from the catwalk above them.

Silver Spoon’s ear twitched, snapping her away from the strongbox for a moment.

“Anyway…” ToyAgumon growled. “I’ve been trying to find the last piece for a while now.”

Apple Bloom looked over the old mold. From the parts that were there, it looked vaguely like a cross with large indents equally spaced in the corners between the lines. The only thing missing was the bottom of the cross.

“Whatcha thinkin’ about Apple Bloom?” Armadillomon asked.

Apple Bloom put a hoof to her chin. “Somethin’ about this seems kinda familiar. Doesn’t it kinda remind you of—”

“It’s ready!” Hagurumon sang.

“Be right there!” ToyAgumon placed the Royal Garden sign mold on a cart. “This is his favorite part of the job,” he chuckled. ToyAgumon pushed the cart to a conveyer belt and loaded it onto a tray near the forge. “Everyone, stand back!”

Hagurumon stared at a control panel near the forge, his grin growing every second. A red and black aura enveloped one of the levers, an invisible force pulling it down a second later. A hatch on the side of the forge opened, and the molten metal within began to ooze down a metal chute.

“Ohohoho,” Hagurumon chuckled. “It’s always satisfying to see the metal flow like that.”

Everyone watched in awe as the glowing orange sludge oozed into the mold, twisting around the divots and lines. Once it was filled, ToyAgumon pulled a lever on his side of the belt. The molten metal filled mold traveled down the conveyor belt to enter a chamber, where it was blasted with cold air. After a couple of minutes, ToyAgumon opened the chamber, and the mold was gently brought out, the metal inside still red hot.

“Okay, let’s get it out of that mold!” ToyAgumon grabbed a crowbar and began prying the sign out of the mold. Hagurumon telekinetically lifted the sign onto a tray, clamped it down, and placed it under a mechanical hammer and anvil, manned by ToyAgumon. The two Digimon worked together to hammer out the uneven parts of the metal. A few minutes afterward, ToyAgumon brought it out to inspect it.

“Wow, that is so cool!” Babs Seed said.

“It’s a good start,” ToyAgumon nodded. “But I’m going to have to use a file to smooth out those hard to reach spots; the grindstone will only be good for the exterior. That’s going to take a while. But after that, we’ll give it a coat or two of polish, and send it to the inn.”

“Well, I’m sure they’re going to love it!” Sweetie Belle snapped a picture of ToyAgumon holding the sign.

“Haha, I got it!” Silver Spoon shouted. Everyone turned to see that she solved the ring puzzle and that the strongbox door was open a crack. When she opened the door though, her smile almost instantly vanished from her face. “Seriously?”

Everyone peeked inside the strongbox to find...another box. This one was covered with a series of dials and a circular maze encased in glass on top.

“I don’t get it…” Terriermon starred at their newfound “prize”.

“Whatever’s in there must be pretty valuable to have TWO strongboxes protecting it,” ToyAgumon said.

“It kind of reminds me of those wooden dolls from Stalliongrad,” Diamond Tiara chuckled. “You know, where there’s a doll in a doll in a doll…”

A loud series of screeches made everyone turn to the forge. “Oh, that doesn’t sound good…” ToyAgumon ran to the forge and started turning various valves. Steam began to burst from the pipes as a hissing noise grew louder; as if the machine had turned into a giant tea kettle. There was a loud bang, and smoke began to billow from a panel beneath the floor.

“It’s overheating! Something’s wrong with the heat regulation!” Hagurumon shouted as he pulled levers on his side of the station. “Shut it down!”

ToyAgumon dashed to a stripped panel to his right, slamming a big red button. An alarm blared to life as the forge’s red glow began to dissipate. Steam and smoke was leaking from several pipes and panels.

“What in the blazes happened?!” Skull coughed.

“Sounds like the heat dispersion system finally bit the dust,” Hagurumon said. “And from the sound of it, the billows suffered some damage.”

“I’ll go take a closer look after it’s cooled down,” ToyAgumon sighed. “But I think it’s safe to say that this machine is out of commission for the day.”

“Is there anythin’ we can do to help?” Apple Bloom asked.

Skull turned to the DigiDestined with a raised eyebrow. “Do you know anything about fixing complex machinery?”

“Uh...I fixed a broken axle on my scooter once,” Scootaloo raised her hoof.

“Oh, can your scooter reach temperatures of over three thousand degrees in less than three minutes?”

Scootaloo slowly lowered her hoof. “...No.”

Skull glanced over to ToyAgumon’s work table. “Looks like you managed to get the sign made at least. Good work, that commission’s due soon.”

Skull then turned back to the DigiDestined. “As for you, it might be best if you leave. This place isn’t safe for folks like you.”

“Okay, but...do you know where we can stay the night?” Diamond Tiara asked. “It’s getting late, and I don't want to sleep out in the sand again. Or worse...the streets.”

Skull sighed. “Well, there’s a motel a couple blocks down the street. It’s not pretty, but it’s cheap.”

“Okay, thanks,” Diamond Tiara said. “I guess we’ll spend the night here and stock up on supplies tomorrow.”

Silver Spoon eyed the puzzle box on ToyAgumon’s table.

“If you’d like, you can come by tomorrow and take another crack at it,” ToyAgumon smiled.

“Really?” Silver Spoon’s eyes lit up. “That sounds great!”

“Hey Silver Spoon, come on!” Terriermon waved his hands. “Everyone’s leaving!”

“Coming!” Silver Spoon galloped towards the workshop entrance, dropping off her hard hat and earmuffs before catching up with the others.

Scootaloo lifted her hoof to her mouth in a vain attempt to stifle a yawn.

“Knock it off Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom yawned. “Don’t ya know how contagious those are?”

“Sorry,” Scootaloo wiped her eyes. “I had a tough time sleeping last night.”

“Tell me about it,” Rumble stumbled forward. “That mattress felt so rough and lumpy...and did anypony else smell something funky in their room?”

“Honestly, the thing that got under my skin was the noise,” Apple Bloom grumbled. “Seriously, all that shoutin’ and hammerin’ goin’ on. It felt like it went on all night!”

“Speak for yourself,” Babs Seed smiled. “That was probably one of the better nights of sleep I’ve had since we first got to this world.”

“You seriously slept through all that noise?” Apple Bloom deadpanned.

Babs Seed shrugged. “Been sleepin’ through that kind of noise since I was a foal. Honestly, the city noise is a lot more calmin’ to me than the quiet when we’re campin’.”

“Humph,” Rumble grumbled. “So, where are the others?”

“Sweetie Belle, Silver Spoon, and Diamond Tiara went to the market to get supplies,” Apple Bloom said. “They should be somewhere ahead.”

After weaving through the city streets, they found their remaining friends arguing with a vendor.

“A hundred bytes for some preserved food? That’s outright theft!” Sweetie Belle shouted.

“Are you telling me how to run my business?” the vendor growled.

“What’s goin’ on over here?” Apple Bloom lumbered her way to the others.

“This guy’s trying to take us for a ride here! He’s charging one hundred bytes for one of these!” Sweetie Belle pointed to a pack of freeze-dried vegetables.

“Sir, we need the food,” Palmon said. “We’ve got a long way to go and we need to restock our supplies.”

“Do we even know where we’re going?” Rumble whispered to Scootaloo.

“And I told you, that this stuff isn’t easy to come by here,” the vendor sighed. “Now, you can either cough up the three hundred bytes and get it, or move aside for another customer.”

“Wait...three hundred!” Diamond Tiara shouted. “You just said they cost one hundred bytes!”

“Are you hard at hearing!? Either pony up with three hundred bytes or get the heck out of here!”

“Arrrrgh…” Sweetie Belle growled before storming away.

“Seems like everyone around here either sells machine parts or scrap. Anyone who sells anything remotely different charges for them out the wazoo!” Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes.

“Might be because of where this place is located,” Silver Spoon said. “Hey Sweetie Belle, can I borrow Piximon’s map?”

Sweetie Belle never stopped grumbling as she opened her Digivice inventory and passed Silver Spoon the map.

Mmhmm…” Silver Spoon nodded. “The city is miles away from most towns, and then there’s the desert. I’d imagine the only type of visitors this town gets are clients for any of the guilds here. It’d be hard for these people to get any other goods that aren’t made of metal. Might explain why they charge so much for that stuff.”

“Classic supply and demand,” Diamond Tiara nodded.

“Hey, you there!”

Everyone turned to see one of the Gazimon from yesterday approach them, the one Sweetie Belle called Shades.

“You offered to help us yesterday...is that offer still on the table?” Shades asked.

“Um...we’re kinda busy right now,” Babs Seed said. “We need to stock up for our journey—”

“And how’s that going for you?” Shades lowered his sunglasses.

Everyone looked at each other, kicking loose bits of concrete around.

“Look, our guild master is willing to pay for your assistance,” Shades sighed. “And...I can recommend some vendors that will sell you goods at a decent price.”

“Hmm…” Diamond Tiara put a hoof to her chin. “Sounds like a good deal to me. What do you guys think?”

“Sounds good to me too,” Apple Bloom nodded. “What exactly do you need us to do?”

“The guild master will fill us in on the details, follow me,” Shades nodded.

The DigiDestined followed Shades back to the White Flame guildhall and were led to a large break room, where they were joined by Skull and ToyAgumon.

“Oh hey guys, how are you all this morning?” ToyAgumon smiled.

“Tired...so tired,” Sweetie Belle yawned.

ToyAgumon took in the sight of the tired and cranky group of ponies, some of which were already falling asleep on the tables. He waddled over to a coffee machine off to the side of the room and brewed everyone a cup. “Here, this should perk you up a bit.”

Sweetie Belle stared at the cup of black, steaming hot liquid in front of her with some apprehension before taking a small sip. Not a second later, she spit it out with a sour look on her face. “Ugh, it’s so bitter!”

“How do grownups drink this stuff?” Rumble scowled at his cup.

Despite her grimace, Silver Spoon took another sip. “Hmm...do you have anything to sweeten this?”

“There’s some cream and sugar at the station there,” ToyAgumon pointed to the table with the coffee machine.

Silver Spoon trotted over to the coffee station and added some cream. She gave it a taste and it seemed to be a bit better so she opted to add some sugar. “That’s actually alright. Sweetie Belle, try adding some of this.”

Everypony else followed Silver Spoon’s example and they all seemed to be at least content with the coffee. While it was working its magic, Silver Spoon was working on the puzzle box with ToyAgumon, and after finishing a marble maze on the top of the box, it clicked open. However, that joy was short-lived when Terriermon pulled out a third puzzle box from inside. This one was a cylinder with rotatable parts and a sheet of paper. Silver took a look at the paper and it showed four sets of lines. The cylinder had several solid and dotted lines on it, similar to the lines on the slip of paper.

Before she could take a crack at it though, Guardromon stepped into the room. “Glad you could all make it.”

“So, you maybe wanna explain why you wanted me to bring these outsiders here?” Shades asked.

“I was getting to that,” Guardromon nodded. “The incident yesterday left Station Four in a state of disrepair. The forge’s heat regulators malfunctioned, and some of the components got melted. The bellows are destroyed too.”

“And I take it that we won’t be able to buy the parts we need?” Skull asked.

Guardromon shook his head. “It would take too long to source the custom parts. We need that forge back up and running as soon as possible. We need to send a team into No ‘Mon’s Land and try to get the replacement parts.”

“Okay, following you so far…” Skull said. “But why do we need so much help? A bigger scavenging team carries risks, you know that. Why not just send the two of us?” Skull gestured to Shades.

Guardromon brought out an old map of Scrap City and the surrounding scrap fields. The map was divided into several zones. Some portions had various notes jotted in them, a couple had large insignias in the center of them, and one was shaded in grey with a warning symbol in the center. “Your best bet is the old foundry here, just at the edge of Sector Six.” Guardromon pointed to the edge of a section neighboring the greyed out area.

Shades slowly took off his sunglasses, concern flashing across his expression. “THAT old foundry?” Shades shuddered. “That’s practically kissing the Exclusion Zone! With all due respect sir, have you lost your marbles?”

“It’s a risky location to loot, I know. But that also means that there’s a strong chance no one’s cleaned the place out yet,” Guardromon said.

“Well, that explains why you want us to bring the backup,” Skull nodded to the DigiDestined. “The additional muscle would certainly improve our odds.”

“ToyAgumon will also be going with you,” Guardromon said.

“And I spoke too soon…”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” ToyAgumon asked.

“Do I need to spell it out for you?” Skull deadpanned. “You’re a liability in the field. You get scared of almost everything, and you can barely put up a fight.”

“We can get the parts you need, no problem,” Shades said.

“Oh, you mean like last time, with the parts for the bellows?” ToyAgumon growled. “It looked like you just grabbed whatever looked like what I asked for and didn’t bother to check the quality of it. The best I could do was a patch job on the bellows, which busted a week later because of the shoddy materials YOU brought back!”

“Enough!” Guardromon yelled. “ToyAgumon is going with you. End of story. Make whatever preparations you need and get those supplies as soon as possible.”

“Yes, sir!” Shades saluted before turning to Skull. “Hey, could you get my kit ready? I’m gonna go scout out our exit from the city.”

“Yeah sure, go for it,” Skull nodded.

“All right, yeah! Let’s do this thing!” Scootaloo leaped off her seat with a flip.

“Yeah! I’m gassed up and ready to go!” Terriermon said before chugging the rest of his coffee. “Wahoo!”

Everyone watched as their two hyped up friends dashed out of the room.

“Um...Scootaloo? Where are you going?” Guilmon asked just before her tail vanished past the doorway.

“Okay...no more caffeine for those two,” Sweetie Belle sighed.

After reigning in their hyped-up friends, everyone gathered in a locker room, watching as the Digimon of the White Flame Guild prepared equipment for the upcoming expedition. ToyAgumon adjusted a tool belt and pack as he added a cutting torch and a small canister of fuel. Meanwhile, Silver Spoon was sitting on a bench, examining the puzzle cylinder in her hooves.

“Hey, why don’t you leave that here?” ToyAgumon asked. “We can work on it when we get back.”

“Nah, I can carry it with me,” Silver Spoon shook her head.

“I promise that it’ll be safe here.”

Silver Spoon looked back to ToyAgumon, an intense look in her eyes. “I’ll carry it with me. I’ll work on it whenever I get the chance.” The room was silent as the puzzle cylinder was dematerialized, and sucked into her Digivice.

“Sheesh, when she wants something, she pushes for it,” Apple Bloom shivered.

“You have no idea…” Diamond Tiara whispered.

“Anyway…let me fill you newbies in on how we do a scavenger run,” Skull zipped his sling bag shut. “We go out into the scrap fields and head towards our objective. We get what we need, and get back. And throughout the whole run, we do our best to avoid conflict whenever possible.

“What’s that saying you like to use?” ToyAgumon asked. “High speed, low drag?”

“Darn straight!” Skull smirked before continuing his explanation. “We may run into other guild members out there, and they won’t hesitate to fight for a valuable piece of scrap. But we also might run into feral Digimon out there.”

“Feral Digimon?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Digimon who roam the wilds, fighting to survive,” Palmon verified. “Like Airdramon in the desert.”

“Yeah,” Skull nodded. “The guild Digimon can be reasoned with...occasionally. But ferals just delete first, ask questions later. And the odds of us encountering ferals are going to increase the closer we get to the Exclusion Zone.”

“What’s this Exclusion Zone ya keep talkin’ about? What’s the big deal with it?” Babs Seed asked.

The door to the locker room burst open as Shades skidded into the room. “We may have a problem,” he said as he caught his breath.

“Is it orange with purple hair? Because if so, we already dealt with that,” Skull looked over to Scootaloo, who was still a little jittery despite being tied up.

“No, I mean that we can’t use the city gates to get out.” Shades brought out a map of Scrap City and laid it out on a table. “I saw members of the Black Ashes Cartel camping outside the North and East gates. I don’t know what you did to them yesterday, but they’re out for revenge.”

Veemon quietly scooted into a corner, whistling to himself.

“So, what’s the plan?” Skull asked. “Think there’s enough of them that we can just bull charge them?”

Shades shook his head. “They’d probably push us back into the city limits. And if that happens, the nearby Sentinels will think that we broke the Armistice. No, we’re going to have to use an alternate route to get out of the city.”

“What do you mean?” ToyAgumon asked.

Shades pointed to a spot on the map; an alleyway a couple of blocks away from the guildhall.

“Oh no...do we have to go THAT way?” ToyAgumon shivered.

Skull grimaced. “Do we have any respirators?”

“Nope…” ToyAgumon sighed.

“Wait, hold on,” Sweetie Belle put her hooves up. “What do you mean by ‘alternate route’? What is it, and exactly how bad is it?”

Chapter 17: Scrap Scavenging 101

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“How you talked us into going this way is beyond me,” Diamond Tiara murmured through her covered nose.

“Oh, quit complaining,” Skull rolled his eyes. “It’s not that bad.”

“Not that bad? We’re in a sewer!” Diamond Tiara gestured to the dark, dank tunnels around them. “Bad is the ONLY way to describe this place!”

“And I thought the city smelled bad,” Guilmon murmured through his claws. “This place smells awful!”

“I need air!” Palmon gasped.

“This is just pathetic…” Shades shook his head as they approached a fork in the tunnel. “Alright, we turn right up here. After that, it should be a straight shot to the outside of the city walls.”

“Great!” Apple Bloom said, her voice muffled through her bandana. “I think I speak for all of us when I say the sooner we get out, the better.”

“Mmhmm,” Shades nodded. He quietly dashed ahead of the others, peering around the corner. After confirming that the coast was clear, he signaled for everyone to follow him.

“Hey Terriermon, how are you doing?” Silver Spoon asked.

“Doing the best I can,” Terriermon grimaced as he tried to keep his ears from touching the ground.

“Here, you need a little lift?” Silver Spoon lowered herself.

“Really? Thanks, Silver Spoon!” Terriermon hopped onto Silver Spoon’s back with a smile.

“Oof! You’re heavier than you look,” Silver Spoon grunted to herself.

“Aww, that’s so sweet of you, Silver Spoon,” Diamond Tiara smiled.

As the group ventured further down the tunnel, Bearmon huddled close to Rumble, nervously glancing at every shadow that danced along the grimy walls. “H-hey, there’s something I wanted to ask,” Bearmon stuttered. “What’s the deal with your guild and the Black Ashes Cartel? Why do you hate each other so much.”

“Well, to be fair, we’re not the only ones who hate the Cartel. That’s mainly because the Black Ashes knows how to exploit loopholes in the Armistice,” Skull said.

ToyAgmon adjusted his rucksack and waddled up to Bearmon. “They were originally made up of a few minor guilds who had trouble establishing themselves among the more major players. To keep up with the competition, they had to expand their services range to more than just gathering scrap. Or more likely, stealing scrap.”

“What kind of services?” Rumble asked.

Shades adjusted his sunglasses. “Well, security and courier services to start. Those are some of the more public services, but they’re more known for their illegal jobs. Theft, threatening rivals, sabotaging workshops, and wetwork.”

“Wetwork?” Scootaloo raised an eyebrow. “Do they mess up other businesses’ plumbing or something?”

The Digimon of the White Flame Guild shared an uncomfortable glance. “Well…” ToyAgumon started. “Wetwork is when a Digimon is...uh…”

“Digimon usually hire the Black Ashes Cartel for wetwork when they want to remove a rival from business permanently,” Skull explained. Afterward, he slowly drew a claw across his neck.

“Oh…” Scootaloo shivered. “That’s...awful!”

“Hey, that’s life in Scrap City. Business is cutthroat, often in more ways than one.”

“But you guys aren’t like that, right?” Diamond Tiara asked.

“Well, we certainly don’t stoop to the levels that they go to,” Skull shrugged. “But I wouldn’t call us squeaky clean either. No business in the city is.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well...everyone hates the Black Ashes Cartel, or at least almost tolerates their existence. But the cartel holds a pretty hard grudge against us. That may or may not have something to do with the alloys we stole from them a couple of months back.”

“Wait, you did what?!” Scootaloo shouted.

“Shh! Keep it down!” Shades hissed.

“What, you worried the turds of this place are gonna rise up to swallow us whole?” Babs Seed jeered.

“In a manner of speaking, yeah,” Shades nodded.

Before anyone could ask what he meant, a strange noise began drifting from the darkness behind them. “Does anyone else hear that?” Bearmon cowered behind Rumble.

“It sounds like someone muttering,” Rumble edged closer to Bearmon.

The muttering began to grow in intensity, and a disgusting slithering sound filled the air.

“Oh crud, it’s the Numemon. They found us!” Shades hissed.

“Wait, you mean Digimon LIVE down here?!” Diamond Tiara grimaced. “What kind of Digimon lives in the filth?”

“They don’t live in the filth; they ARE the filth!” ToyAgumon shivered.

“Just keep still, and don’t make a sound,” Shades whispered. “Maybe they’ll pass us by and head into a different tunnel.”

A few moments later, a group of the ugliest Digimon anyone had ever seen emerged from the darkness. They looked like green slugs, with buck teeth and a long tongue. The slugs charged past the intersecting tunnel, barreling down towards the group of adventurers.

“Are those the Numemon?!” Diamond Tiara stepped back.

“We need to move, now!” Shades dashed further down the tunnel with Skull and ToyAgumon. A few of the ponies followed close behind.

“Come on, Veemon, we gotta go!” Babs Seed turned around when her partner wasn’t with her. He stood his ground alongside a hesitant Guilmon, the latter of who was getting his tail pulled by Scootaloo.

“What are you all running for?” Veemon smirked as he lowered his stance. “We can take these guys. Right Guilmon?”

Guilmon glanced from Scootaloo to the oncoming Numemon. “Uh…”

More and more Numemon began to emerge from the darkness, turning the small group of slugs into a horde of living filth.

Guilmon stared at the horde while Veemon’s stance went slack. “...Nope!” Guilmon turned around and dashed after Scootaloo.

“Yeah, I changed my mind! I don’t wanna stay here!” Veemon shrieked as he caught up to the others.

Everyone ran as fast as they could from the gargling horde of Numemon behind them. “They’re gaining on us!” Terriermon shouted from Silver Spoon’s back.

“Well, then do something about it!” Silver Spoon yelled.

Terriermon turned himself around and took a deep breath, despite the surrounding stench. “BUNNY BLAST!” he shouted, firing a blast of green energy from his mouth. The attack knocked a few of the Numemon back, but more surged forward to fill the gap in the next moment. Terriermon fired a few more blasts, but the horde barely slowed down. The Numemon retaliated by throwing lumps of pink, funky smelling sludge at them.

“Okay, this isn’t working!” Terriermon turned around, grabbing onto Silver Spoon’s neck. “Giddyup, Silver!”

“You’re not making this easy!” Silver Spoon growled as some pink sludge landed a few feet behind her.

The group ran through the tunnels, the Numemon hot on their heels, narrowly dodging the sludge thrown at them.

“There, I see sunlight!” Sweetie Belle shouted. “We’re almost out!”

Spurred on by hope and adrenaline, the group sprinted for the light at the end of the tunnel. Leaping from the tunnel, everyone crashed a few yards away as the horde of Numemon stopped. Most of the slug-like Digimon shielded their eyes from the light, but a few threw a couple of extra rounds of pink sludge, which landed barely a few feet from the tunnel entrance. After a few moments, they retreated into the darkness, grumbling all the way.

“Numemon...hate the light,” Skull wheezed. “They won’t follow us out here.”

While everyone took a few moments to catch their breath, Apple Bloom glanced at some of the pink sludge the Numemon used to attack them. “What in tarnation is this stuff?” Apple Bloom wrinkled her nose as she pulled her green bandana down from her nose.

“That’s Digi-sludge, don’t touch that,” Shades said.

“But...what is it?” Apple Bloom stepped away from it.

Hawkmon nervously bit his beak. “Digi-sludge is...well…” he stammered, struggling for words. Eventually, he sighed. “It’s Digimon...excrement.”

Apple Bloom blinked. “Excre-what?”

“Poop,” Sweetie Belle clarified while she backed further away from the sewer tunnel. “They were throwing poop at us.”

Apple Bloom’s expression twisted in disgust as she backpedaled away. “Okay...ew!”

“Yeah...so, can we please get this mission rolling?” Skull asked irritation leaching into his voice.

“Yes, please!” Apple Bloom hurried after the two Gazimon, the others following close behind.

The journey through No ‘Mon’s Land was long and quiet. Shades led the team through the scrap yards, winding around massive metal hills and destroyed vehicles’ stacks. Everyone eyed the surrounding junk, wary of rusty metal and creaking piles.

Just like their trip through with ToyAgumon the other day, any conversations were either quick whispers or discouraged entirely. Unlike ToyAgumon, however, Shades’ caution didn’t border on paranoia. Instead, it felt more disciplined. It was the kind of caution one would expect a soldier to show when leading his troops through hostile terrain.

There were several moments where Shades would hold up his claw, signaling everyone to stop. He would then scout the area ahead to make sure it was safe. If he heard something even remotely sounding like a fight, he would signal everyone to double back and go a different way.

After a couple of hours of sneaking around, the team found a broken down double-decker train car to stop for a break. At the moment, Rumble was on the second deck towards the back of the train car, looking out the window with Skull. He could see part of a collapsed purple obelisk leaning on a mound of junk in the distance.

“That’s an old Control Spire,” Skull explained as he borrowed Rumble’s scope. “An old relic from the time of the Digimon Emperor.”

“Digimon Emperor?” Rumble asked. “I think I’ve heard of that somewhere before.”

“Supposedly, he was a human child who sought to rule the Digital World. He would use those Control Spires to prevent Digimon from digivolving, and provide power to his Dark Rings, which allowed him to control Digimon in the area.” Skull handed the scope back to Rumble. “That area with the spire, that’s the Exclusion Zone.”

Rumble looked at the spire through the scope. “But it’s destroyed now, right? What’s the big deal?”

“The big deal is with the dark magic left over from the spire. It drives the Digimon who live out there completely mad. Everyone in the city is worried about what might happen if they stick around too long, so they tend to avoid that area at all costs if they can help it. Hence the name.”

Rumble nodded. As he scanned the horizon, he noticed several Digimon hovering around the Control Spire like vultures. He squinted into the lens, trying to get a better look. Some of them vaguely looked like Pteramon, the aerial Digimon that attacked them at the Sleepypine Trading Post a couple of weeks ago. But they were too far away for Rumble to be sure.

Rumble shrugged, figuring that they must have been Digimon who lived in the Zone. He carefully reattached the scope to his headband before going back downstairs to rejoin the others. Everyone was sitting in the few train seats that hadn’t completely rotted away yet. Most were eating a small lunch, chatting with the others in hushed tones.

The train car itself looked like someone had tried fortifying it at some point. Somebody had barricaded the windows with bits and pieces of junk. Skull explained that it wasn’t unheard of for scavengers to set up camp outside of the city walls if they didn’t make it back before dark. Feral Digimon were much more active at night.

Rumble took a seat next to Bearmon, who passed him some food. A few seats over, Silver Spoon was hunched over the puzzle cylinder from ToyAgumon’s workshop.

Terriermon peered over Silver Spoon’s shoulder. “Look at you go, you’re on fire!” he smiled.

Silver Spoon stopped turning the cylinder for a moment to look at the sheet of paper that came with it. “The lines on the cylinder match the ones on this paper,” she said, noting the solid and dotted lines forming a pattern on the paper. “Looks like I’ve got to line up the rotating panels to match the pattern on this paper.”

“Okay, sounds easy enough,” Terriermon shrugged.

“Here’s the thing,” Silver Spoon returned to the puzzle cylinder. “When you switch from one panel to another, a mechanism makes one of the four panels turn a notch or two.” As she turned a panel on the far right side, the panel on the inner left side turned a notch in the opposite direction.

“That looks like it could get annoying real quick,” Scootaloo said.

“Oh, it does, believe me,” Silver Spoon grinned. “But, the mechanism seems to follow a certain pattern. And I think I’ve figured out how to work around it.”

With a concentrated look in her eye, Silver Spoon kept turning the panels on the cylinder. The train car was filled with the sounds of quiet clicking as she worked furiously on the puzzle. Until finally, the cylinder split in half with a louder click.

“I got it!” Silver Spoon quietly cheered. She held the cylinder delicately in her hooves. “Okay, full disclosure: if there’s another tiny puzzle in this thing, I’m probably going to chuck it out the window as far as I can!” she added.

“So like, three feet out?” Babs Seed chuckled.

Silver Spoon stuck her tongue out at Babs Seed before turning back to the finished puzzle in her hooves.

The two halves of the cylinder gently slid apart. And in the center of the remaining frame rested a small purple rectangular tile.

“What the…?” Silver Spoon gently pulled the tile out and turned it over. On the front of the tile was a pattern featuring a pair of circles joined by an arch, almost looking like binoculars.

“Isn’t that one of the Crests?!” Diamond Tiara leaned over her seat to get a better look.

“It’s the Crest of Knowledge!” Hawkmon confirmed.

The Crest in question began to glow. It slowly hovered into the air before gently sliding into Silver Spoon’s Tag.

“Whoa!” Silver Spoon admired her new Crest. “Talk about an awesome prize!”

“Huh, the Crest of Knowledge goes to the nerd,” Scootaloo snickered. “Who saw that coming?”

“Why, you little…!” Silver Spoon stood on her seat, ready to pounce the loudmouth pegasus.

“Be quiet; we’ve got company!” Shades whispered.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and dropped onto the floor. A few moments later, a Digimon stumbled out from behind a mound of junk, collapsing in a clearing near the train car. It looked like a robotic insect with a head shaped like a taser. Rumble peeked through one of the windows and aimed his Digivice analyzer at the bug. As soon as the circular reticle was filled, Rumble ducked back into cover as the Digivice projected the Digimon’s stats.

Name: Kokuwamon
Level: Rookie
Attribute: Data
Attacks:
Powe Surge
Stun Shock

Bearmon peeked through the window. “He looks hurt! Shouldn’t we help him!?”

Rumble stopped Bearmon as he tried to get up. “Wait a minute!”

A few moments later, three Goblimon emerged from around the corner. As they strolled to the injured Kokuwamon, Rumble spotted their armbands bearing the Black Ashes Cartel’s insignia.

“Did you think you could just walk away from us like that?” one of the Goblimon casually swung his club back and forth. “I mean, it was rude enough when you were avoidin’ us in the city. But come on, show some courtesy.”

Another Goblimon stepped in front of Kokuwamon, leaning on his club. “Now, I’ll ask you this one more time. Where. Is. Our. Money?”

“I...I told you. I don’t have it yet,” Kokuwamon stuttered.

The Goblimon in front of Kokuwamon sighed. “You don’t have it. Even after a month, you say you don’t have it!” Goblimon ended with a slam of his club. He then began walking in a circle around Kokuwamon, dragging his club in the dirt behind him. “You know, when you came to us begging for those circuit boards, you seemed pretty sure you could pay us back. You assured us that you would pay back double the usual fee. That was the deal!”

“I know that!” Kokuwamon looked up at the Goblimon circling him. “But how was I supposed to know that the delivery would get robbed?”

Another Goblimon chuckled. “Maybe if you’d kept your caravan’s delivery route a secret, nothing would’ve happened to it.”

Kokuwamon’s eyes widened. “What? A-are you saying that you robbed it?” Kokuwamon trembled. “Why? Why are you doing this to me?!”

The lead Goblimon stopped circling him and jabbed him with his club. “No more excuses! I don’t care how it happens; can you get us the money or not?!”

Rumble looked around the train car. Many of his friends looked concerned for Kokuwamon, and their partners were itching to destroy the Goblimon. But the Gazimon of the White Flame Guild kept them back.

“Why are we just sitting here!” Veemon whispered through clenched teeth. “We can take these guys; there’s only three of them.”

“There’s bound to be more of them hanging back in case someone ambushes the main group,” Skull whispered.

“I don’t care if you have to sell bits and pieces of your shop. You will pay us what you owe!”

Kokuwamon pushed himself up. “You know I can’t do that! I'm barely scraping by as it is! If I sell my shop, then I’ll never—”

“Oh, forget this, we aren’t getting anywhere,” a Goblimon sighed. He then grabbed his club and slammed the Kokuwamon over a heap of scrap. A few moments later, a DigiCore flew from around the corner.

The lead Goblimon walked toward his colleague and smacked him upside the head. “What is wrong with you!?”

“He just kept spouting off excuses left and right! There was no way he was going to pay up!” the Goblimon rubbed his head. “Besides, didn’t you say he took out a few loans from one of those financial guilds? The Mythril Scales? Can’t we talk to our guys in there and forge some repossession papers?”

“We might have been able to...if you hadn’t iced him just now,” the lead Goblimon buried his face into his hand. “We can’t repo the assets of a deleted Digimon, you imbecile!”

Just as it was looking like the two goblins were about to come to blows, another Goblimon ran out from the way they came. He ran up to the lead Goblimon and whispered something in his ear. The lead Goblimon glanced towards the train car for a moment before scratching his red mohawk.

“Right then, I guess there’s not much else we can do here,” the lead Goblimon sighed. “Let’s just head back and see if we can find a way to make all the money we just lost.” He brushed past his fellow Goblimon and led them out of the clearing.

After a few moments, Shades crept up to the front of the train car and peered out the window. “I think we’re clear.”

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. “That is one brutal gang!” Babs Seed whispered.

“I still think we could’ve taken them,” Veemon clenched his fists.

“You would’ve been jumped the second you stepped out of the car,” Skull reprimanded. “The Goblimon may look like a bunch of dumb brutes, but they can be ruthless when they attack in groups.”

“Dumb brutes, you say?”

Everyone turned to the front of the train car to find a Goblimon leaning against the entrance. “That’s hilarious coming from a narrow-minded weasel,” he smirked.

“What are you doing here?” Skull growled. “What do you want?”

“Well, my crew and I were passing through the area, taking care of some business,” the Goblimon inspected his claws. “When one of my boys just happened to spot a mysterious light was coming from this train car.”

Everyone glanced towards Silver Spoon, who hid behind her hat as she sank into her seat.

“I decided to check that out. And I find a bunch of outsiders and rats all huddled in here.” The Gotsumon tensed while ToyAgumon kept glancing towards the windows, looking for a way out.

“As to what I want, well, I won’t bore you with the list,” the Goblimon continued. “But...I suppose I could start with thinning out some of my competitors. Oh, and clocking that blue wannabe tough guy back there.” Goblimon gestured towards Veemon.

“Ohoho...a glutton for punishment, are ya?” Veemon cracked his knuckles.

“Um, V?” Babs Seed reached out to grab her partner. “Maybe we shouldn’t—”

“You only got lucky yesterday,” Goblimon continued. “You probably couldn’t fight your way out of a paper bag. If the Sentinel hadn’t stepped in, I certainly would have sent you home in one.”

“Big talk coming from a stunted green scumbag!” Veemon dashed across the aisle towards Goblimon, who continued to relax against the entrance.

“Veemon, wait!” Babs Seed called out.

As Veemon got within a few feet from Goblimon, two more Goblimon burst in from the windows behind him. Before Veemon realized what was happening, the two assailants pinned him down and started punching him, while the third walked up and kicked him.

“Veemon!” Babs Seed leaped out of her seat.

“Hey, we’ve got another problem!” Palmon pointed to the hatch leading to the upper deck, where two more Goblimon leaped down to join the fray.

“I’ll go help Veemon!” Bearmon ran down the aisle.

“Bearmon, I’ve got an idea!” Palmon threw her hands forward. “POISON IVY!”

Palmon wrapped her vines around one of the Goblimon attacking Veemon and yanked him down the aisle. Bearmon punched him out of the air, sending him flying onto his back before curling up into a ball. “BEAR ROLL!”

Bearmon rolled down the aisle and slammed another Goblimon off of Veemon. With his legs now free, Veemon kicked the last Goblimon in the face.

Bearmon sprung back up into a fighting stance as Veemon picked himself up. “Thanks for the assist!” Veemon curled his hands into fists. The two Digimon stood back to back as the three Goblimon angrily dragged themselves to their feet.

“Right, we’ll handle these goons!” Hawkmon turned his attention to the two Goblimon approaching from behind. “FEATHER STRIKE!” Hawkmon threw his feather, knocking the Goblimon off the stairs. He then flew towards the closest one as his beak charged with energy. “BEAK PECKER!”

But the Goblimon grabbed his club and smacked Hawkmon into the ceiling before he could land a hit.

Guilmon’s pupils turned to slits as he growled. “ROCK BREAKER!” he shouted as his claws glowed with energy. He charged one of the Goblimon, busting straight through the walls of the train car. With Veemon and Bearmon fighting three in the front of the train car, and Guilmon fighting another outside, only one Goblimon left inside.

“Alright, this one’s mine!” Armadillomon jumped into the aisle and pawed the floor. “DIAMOND SHELL!” Armadillomon curled up into a ball and launched himself forward. Goblimon ducked out of the way, sending Armadillomon sailing down the aisle, making him pinball around the train car. After bouncing around a few times, Armadillomon slammed Goblimon from behind.

Apple Bloom jumped out of the way with a yelp as her partner crashed into a rotting seat. She peered over the seat as Armadillomon uncurled himself upside down.

“Are you alright?” she asked.

“Did I get him?” Armadillomon asked in a daze.

A roar made Scootaloo look outside, just in time to see a DigiCore float away. Guilmon watched the core fly off as his eyes returned to normal.

In the front of the car, Veemon and Bearmon had managed to defeat two of the Goblimon. The lead Goblimon leaned towards the door nervously as two DigiCores floated out of the windows.

“Come on, don’t tell me you’re scared of us, you green wannabe tough guy!” Veemon taunted.

“This isn’t over yet!” Goblimon growled. He looked to his remaining comrade. “Fall back!” he yelled before bursting through the car door.

The Goblimon that Armadillomon had knocked down slowly picked himself up. “Ugh...I’m up, I’m up!” he opened his eyes and cringed when he saw that he was surrounded. With his path to the car door blocked, he quickly picked up his club and started climbing out the window. But his retreat was soon interrupted.

“Gah! I’m stuck!” the Goblimon wiggled his legs.

Apple Bloom smirked. “Oh here, lemme help you with that.” She hopped onto the seat next to the flailing Goblimon and delivered a powerful kick straight to his butt, sending him flying out the window. “See ya!” she laughed.

Guilmon stepped back into the train car through the hole he made. “Did we win?”

“Uh-huh,” Scootaloo nodded. “Is everyone alright?”

“We’re a little banged up, but I think we’re all good for the most part,” Diamond Tiara helped her partner back onto his feet. “How about you, Hawkmon?”

“I’ll be alright right after I stop seeing double of you,” Hawkmon groaned.

“How about you, V?” Babs Seed trotted over to Veemon. “They looked like they got some pretty good hits on ya.”

Veemon grimaced as he rubbed his shoulder. “I’ll be fine,” he answered plainly.

Babs put a comforting hoof on Veemon’s shoulder.

“Okay, if we’re all done licking our wounds, can we please get moving?” Shades begged.

“Well, you’re impatient today, aren’t you?” Sweetie Belle grumbled.

The rag-tag team of scavengers ducked through a hole in a chain-link fence to reach the abandoned foundry. The distant Control Spire made the metal building look even more foreboding.

“This place is spooky lookin’,” Apple Bloom shivered. “Kinda reminds me of that haunted house back on File Island.”

“The Grey Lord’s Mansion?” Scootaloo asked. A distant rumbling sounded in the distance, almost like thunder. Scootaloo looked around the clear blue sky in disbelief. “Really?!”

Skull approached the front entrance and peered in through a crack in the door. “Hmm...looks like there’s rubble blocking the front entrance. We’ll have to find another way in.”

“I memorized the old floor plans of this place,” Shades said. “There should be a loading dock on the western side.”

“Right then, let’s check it out.”

Following Shades, the team crept around the foundry wall, making their way to the loading dock. Shades crept up to the employee entrance and jiggled the door handle. “It’s locked,” he grumbled.

“All right, this is where I come in,” Skull walked up to the door. “Step aside.”

“She’s all yours,” Shades gestured to the door with a small bow.

Skull knelt in front of the lock for a few moments before taking off his sling bag. Opening the bag, he brought out a locksmithing kit. He fished out a lockpick and tension wrench and got to work picking the lock.

“I thought the bag was to help carry the parts we need,” Rumble said.

“It has some space in it, but he mainly uses it to carry his infiltration tools,” ToyAgumon explained. “You see, a lot of the old buildings in No ‘Mon’s Land still have a few locked doors and other security measures. He specializes in breaking those security measures quickly and quietly.”

Sweetie Belle gestured towards Shades. “What about him? What’s his specialty?”

“Recon,” ToyAgumon nodded. “He knows how to make his way through the scrap fields without causing a stir. The guild master likes sending those two out on jobs like these. They make the perfect team.”

“Huh,” Diamond Tiara watched Skull fiddling with the lock. “Where’d your guild master find these guys?”

“From what I heard, he caught them trying to steal from his home downtown,” ToyAgumon said. “He saw that they were just a couple of street urchins trying to get by, and not agents from a rival guild. So, he offered them a way off the streets by giving them jobs at the White Flame Guild. A couple of diamonds in the rough, that’s what the guild master called them.”

“You don’t say…” Diamond Tiara smiled.

A click came from the door. “We’re in,” Skull grinned. He put away his tools and opened the door a crack. “Looks clear, let’s move!”

The team followed Skull’s lead, moving swiftly and quietly into the building. The inside of the loading docks looked just about as run-down as the outside of the building. Crates and torn up boxes were strewn around the warehouse. Overhead lights still flickered dimly above them. Despite the apparent age of the place, it seemed as though it still had a pulse.

“Think we’ll find the parts we need in here?” Rumble asked, eyeing the flickering lights casting shadows over the metal walls.

“Doubtful,” Shades said. “We want to head to the main assembly area, maybe check out maintenance shacks. If we can’t find spare parts, we’ll need to cannibalize the machines here.”

Everyone followed Skull to a steel door at the far end of the warehouse. “Drat! It’s an electronic lock. And from the state of this place, I don’t think we’re going to find any ID cards lying around.”

“Can you crack it?” ToyAgumon asked.

“Of course I can,” Skull scoffed. “It’s just gonna take a while. Why don’t the rest of you look around, see if there’s anything worth taking while I work here?”

Skull put on some yellow insulated gloves and began pulling a few more tools out of his sling bag. The rest of the team dispersed, wandering around the warehouse.

Sweetie Belle wandered over to an office with Palmon and Rumble. Inside sat a familiar-looking machine stationed on a desk. A horizontal tablet lined with buttons labeled with various letters and characters was wired to a box with a screen on it. It looked a lot like the machine that brought them to the Digital World in the first place.

While the ponies kept their distance, Bearmon crept up to the machine and tapped on the keyboard. The screen flickered to life, and a single cryptic message bounced back and forth between the edges of the screen in DigiCode.

YOU MUST CONSTRUCT ADDITIONAL PYLONS!

Sweetie Belle and Rumble looked at each other in confusion. Even the Digimon couldn’t explain the meaning of the message.

Meanwhile, Apple Bloom and Armadillomon were rooting around through various crates with ToyAgumon.

“Hmm…let’s see here,” ToyAgumon peered into one of the open crates. “Trash, trash...trash. Wait, is that...nope, more trash.”

Apple Bloom looked over to a shelf, holding several crates and spilled boxes. One small rectangular box with a lock caught her attention. Standing on her hind legs, she carefully grabbed the box and set it down. “What do ya’ll reckon’s in here?” she asked.

Armadillomon and ToyAgumon walked over to the box. ToyAgumon took a look at the lock, giving it a few experimental tugs. “Must be pretty valuable to be locked up in something like this.”

“Think we can find a key layin’ around here?” Armadillomon asked.

“No need,” ToyAgumon took off his rucksack and dug out a plasma cutter and a pair of welding goggles. “You two might wanna step back.”

Apple Bloom and Armadillomon took a few steps back and shielded their eyes as ToyAgumon fired up his plasma cutter. A few moments later, they heard a small clank as the lock hit the floor. They looked back as ToyAgumon took off his goggles and opened the box. They peered inside to find a chunk of grey steel with a divot running up the center and off the edge of the slab.

“Hmm…” ToyAgumon gingerly picked up the chunk and looked it over. “Looks like it’s in pretty good condition, even though it’s just a piece.”

“Hold on a sec…” Armadillomon looked closely at the chunk. “Don’t ya think this looks familiar, Apple Bloom? I reckon it’s the missin’ piece to that mold that you were workin’ on, ToyAgumon.”

Apple Bloom looked at the mold and the divot that ran down the center. “I think yer right!”

“Yeah!” ToyAgumon smiled as he gently wrapped the chunk in cloth and placed it in his rucksack.

Meanwhile, at the door, Skull was fiddling around with wires sticking out of an access panel near the door. When he cut one of the cables, a soft clang came from the door. Skull looked over to the door and smiled. “And there goes the mag locks.”

Skull put away his wire cutters and pulled a small crowbar out of his sling bag. “Hey, someone give me a hand here!”

“Coming!” ToyAgumon waddled over to Skull, Apple Bloom, and Armadillomon close behind.

Skull used the crowbar to pry the door open a crack. From there, the three Digimon and filly were able to pull the door open.

“Alright, you got it open?” Shades said as he walked out of another room with Babs and Veemon in tow.

“What does it look like, genius?” Skull rolled his eyes. “What about you? Find anything worth stealing?”

“Plenty of lightbulbs, plaster, cleaning supplies, and tools. Found a few spare parts to replace some machines, but none of what we’re looking for.”

“I see,” Skull nodded. “ToyAgumon, it looks like you’re gonna step up and earn your keep soon.”

“I won’t let you down!” ToyAgumon saluted.

“I won’t hold my breath…” Skull muttered as he walked into the main assembly area.

Hidden in the rafters of the old foundry, a smirking Tsukaimon lay watching the crew of scavengers enter the assembly area.

“Clip clop comes the hooves of our conquering victims,” Tsukaimon quietly chuckled. He adjusted a small pouch before flying deeper into the foundry. After flitting among the shadows along the ceiling, he found what he was looking for in a nearby annex.

Tsukaimon reached into his pouch, pulled out a camcorder, switched it on, and aimed it at himself. “Hello everyone, this is Tsukaimon. Welcome to my live stream!” he whispered. “Today, we’re gonna sic an Ultimate Level Digimon on a gang of colorful pastel horses and watch the chaos unfold.”

Tsukaimon looked down at the feral Digimon sleeping just below him. He pulled out a crystal swirling with purple dust and held it up to the camera. “This is my master’s latest strain of his Black Shadow Virus. And he has asked me to conduct the field test today and record every moment of it. So, here we go!”

Tsukaimon aimed the camera at the sleeping Digimon below him and held the crystal over him. “Wakey, wakey!” he whispered.

Tsukaimon dropped the crystal, watching as it shattered and released the purple smoke inside. Tsukaimon retreated into the shadows, grabbing the camcorder as the virus oozed into the feral Digimon and began to take effect.

The group wandered through the semi-dark halls of the assembly area. Among the massive remnants of old, rusted machinery, they found a room with a few forges similar to those in the guildhall. Among the most intact of these machines was a massive forge.

ToyAgumon climbed into the cold, dead machine. As he rooted around inside the device, the rest of the team watched the shadows of the factory.

“So, is there anything we can salvage in there?” Skull leaned to the machine.

A few clangs came from the forge, followed by light leaking through the machine from ToyAgumon’s headlamp. “Oh yeah, there’s plenty here. All in good shape too.”

“How long will it take to get what we need?”

“Well, I could either do it fast or do it right!” ToyAgumon argued. “Just keep me covered while I work on this here.”

Skull rolled his eyes. As his gaze wandered the ruined halls, he could see the bright flickering blue light that was ToyAgumon’s plasma cutter out of the corner of his eye. “Just so long as we don’t get any more surprises today…”

“AAAH!” Diamond Tiara shrieked as she jumped atop a pile of boxes. “Rats!”

Everyone turned to where she was pointing and found a couple of small metal shapes moving around on the floor. With their small grey spherical bodies and little red eyes, they looked a bit like mice, except for the sparks of electricity that would occasionally arc from their tails.

Skull sighed. “It’s just some MetalKoromon, calm down.”

Diamond Tiara, still rigid atop her perch, aimed her Digivice at the MetalKoromon as they zipped around the floor.

Name: MetalKoromon
Level: Fresh
Attribute: Free
Attacks:
Jamming Powder

“Aww...these lil’ fellas are kinda cute,” Apple Bloom smiled as she went to pet one. As she reached her hoof out, a small bolt of electricity arced out of its tail and socked her. “Youch!”

The MetalKoromon made a cute sound akin to giggling before zooming off to run circles around a collection of pipes with its friends.

Shades took off his shades and looked around the room; his ears perked. “Does anyone else hear that?”

Everyone stopped what they were doing and listened. Amidst the howling of the gentle breeze flowing through the halls, there was a slow but steady clunking noise. Moments later, the Metal Koromon scurried further into the factory, away from the noise. The ponies edged closer together while the Digimon tensed up. Except for ToyAgumon, who stayed hidden in the derelict forge.

After a few moments of tense silence, a tall, disfigured being lumbered forth from the shadows. The humanoid Digimon looked like something out of a sci-fi horror film. It had semi-rusted armor covering most of its body. But a portion of its right arm and a majority of its left leg were nothing but exposed wires.

“Intruders detected!” the Digimon said in a deep robotic voice. “This facility is a restricted area. All intruders are subject to immediate termination. Surrender and die!”

“Um...don’t you mean ‘surrender OR die’?” Sweetie Belle whimpered.

“Negative!” the robot took another few steps forward.

Babs Seed brought up her Digivice and analyzed the mechanical monster.

Name: Andromon
Level: Ultimate
Attribute: Data
Attacks:
Spiral Sword
Gattling Missiles

“Sounds like this guy’s itching for a fight!” Veemon cracked his knuckles. “I’d be happy to give it to him.”

“Um, V?” Babs Seed glanced from her eager partner to the bloodthirsty cyborg. “I-I don’t think that’s a good—”

“B, please!” Veemon glanced back to Babs, his desperate voice echoing in her head. “Please give me this! I need to make up for that mess in the train car.”

Babs Seed rolled her eyes. “Fine…” As Veemon got into a fighting stance, Babs Seed’s Digivice began to glow. A moment later, blue light swirled around Veemon.

“Initiating Rook Protocol,” Andromon’s right hand began to spin until it glowed with blue energy. “Eliminate all trespassers! SPIRAL SWORD!”

“Veemon, digivolve to…

Andromon swung his arm forward, launching a blade of blue energy at Veemon’s “light cocoon.” Babs shielded her eyes as the cocoon exploded, and Veemon came flying out, bouncing off of a large pipe before landing on the cold hard ground.

“Veemon!” Babs Seed galloped over to her partner, gently picking him up. “Are you okay, bud?”

“Oh, I’m just peachy keen good sir! Care for a spot of tea and crumbly crumb crumpets?”
Veemon said in an accent similar to Hawkmon’s before passing out.

“Wow...today isn’t his day, is it?” Sweetie Belle said.

“Nope,” Babs Seed tossed Veemon’s unconscious body onto her back before dashing into cover.

“Eliminate all trespassers!” Andromon droned as he stepped forward.

“Hey, what’s going on out there?” ToyAgumon peered through a hole in the wrecked forge. Andromon turned to the toy dinosaur with a menacing look, piercing daggers right through him. “Eep!” ToyAgumon ducked back into the forge.

“Target acquired!” Andromon turned to the forge, his hand starting to spin.

“ToyAgumon, get outta there!” Apple Bloom cried out.

“I’m goin’ in hot!” Armadillomon leaped toward Andromon as Apple Bloom’s Digivice started to glow.

“Armadillomon, digivolve too…

Ankylomon!”

Andromon looked up in time to see Ankylomon’s hulking golden form barreling down on him before being knocked back several feet.

“Hooey! It’s good to be back!” Ankylomon smiled. “How’d you like that, you oversized bag of bolts?”

Apple Bloom smiled. It had been a while since she had seen her partner fight in his Champion form. But that smile soon vanished as Andromon got back up without so much as a scratch.

“New threat detected,” Andromon droned. “Threat assessment: trivial.”

“What was that?!” Ankylomon growled. “I’ll show you who’s trivial, you overgrown movie prop!”

Ankylomon charged into Andromon, but Andromon managed to grab him by his horns and dig his feet into the floor.

The two massive Digimon grappled on the factory floor for a while before Andromon started to gain ground. He twisted Ankylomon’s head, throwing the dinosaur onto his side. Andromon focused on Ankylomon’s exposed underbelly as his right hand began to spin and glow.

“Ankylomon!” Apple Bloom cried out. “Move!”

“This is bad!” Silver Spoon brought up her Digivice as it began to glow. “Terriermon, get in there and give him some support!”

“Roger that!” Terriermon spread his ears, gliding towards the fight as he began to digivolve.

Terriermon, digivolve too…

Gargomon!

Terriermon skidded to a stop at Andromon’s flank, quickly whipping out his gatling guns. “GARGO LASER!” Terriermon blasted Andromon with a barrage of green lasers, making Andromon roll out of the way.

“New threat detected, analyzing…” Andromon’s eye glowed red. “Threat assessment: minuscule.”

“Hey!” Gargomon yelled. “I’m standing right here, you know!”

“Calculating combined threat assessment. Status: mediocre. Deploying additional weaponry.” Andromon’s chest opened up to reveal two missile slots. “GATLING MISSILES!”

Andromon launched two strange-looking missiles out of his chest. They looked like a cross between an ugly predatory fish and a rocket. The rockets flew towards Gargomon. As they got closer, the fish/missile’s mouths opened to reveal tiny gatling guns. Gargomon shielded himself from the missile’s bullet barrage as he fell back.

“Sheesh, talk about overkill!” Rumble said.

The missiles looped back around for another run. Gargomon raised one arm to shield himself while using the other to take shots at the rockets. As they got within firing range, Gargomon managed to blast the missiles out of the air.

“Haha! I got—” Gargomon started. But Andromon slammed him into a wall before he could finish his sentence.

“TAIL HAMMER!” Ankylomon rushed Andromon, whipping his mace studded tail into him. Andromon caught Ankylomon’s tail as the room rumbled around them.

“You’re heavy,” Andromon said before spinning Ankylomon around and throwing him into Gargomon, sending them both crashing through the wall and out of the foundry. As the dust cleared, Andromon slowly stepped through the resulting hole.

Everyone gazed out the hole as Gargomon and Ankylomon slowly got up.

“Holy smokes, this guy’s intense!” Babs Seed whispered.

“He kinda reminds me of that cyborg from that old action movie,” Rumble said. “What was it called? The one where he goes back in time to find that guy’s mother?”

“No, I know what you’re talking about,” Babs nodded. “It’s uh...the uh...The Exterminator? Something like that?”

“Our friends are fightin’ a battle to the death with some freaky cyborg! Why are you tryin’ to remember some movie?!” Apple Bloom yelled.

Babs Seed and Rumble glanced at each other.

“You dun goofed!” Veemon sleepily chuckled from Babs’ back.

“Go back to sleep, Veemon!” Babs Seed whispered.

“Okay…”

“ToyAgumon, we need to get those parts now!” Skull said.

No response came from the forge. Meanwhile, the fight raged outside as Andromon continued his assault on Ankylomon and Gargomon.

“ToyAgumon?”

A quiet shaking echoed from inside the forge. “I-I’m scared!” ToyAgumon whimpered.

“C’mon, don’t fall apart on me here!” Skull banged on the forge.

“What if that thing comes this way? I can’t fight something like that! I’m useless here!”

Apple Bloom galloped over to the forge. “Nobody’s askin’ you to fight here. We just need you to get the parts we need. Right now, no one can do that ‘cept you.”

“She’s right!” Skull nodded. “Look, you might not be the best fighter. To put it frankly, you’re garbage in that regard.” Apple Bloom shot a glare at Skull. “But, you’re a top-notch blacksmith and just as good a mechanic. Would you trust my partner or me to handle something like this?”

“Well...not really?” ToyAgumon said.

“Listen…” Skull sighed. “I know we all rag on you from time to time, and I’ll admit I didn’t like the idea of the guild master making you come along with us. But looking at the situation now, I realize that he knew that you were the only one who could do something like this. You know how these machines work inside and out, and you know what we need and how to get it without damaging it.

“And right now, we need that expertise to finish our mission. Right now, you’re the most important member of this scavenging op.”

“We’re countin’ on ya ToyAgumon!” Apple Bloom said. “Just focus on the machines. We’ll keep you covered!”

Outside, everyone heard a slam as Anylomon cried out. Apple Bloom winced as she felt something smack her back. She turned to the fresh hole in the factory wall, worried about her partner’s well-being.

ToyAgumon took a deep breath. “Okay, I won’t let you down!” A few clangs came from inside the machine, then the blue light of ToyAgumon’s plasma torch flickered in the dark.

“Keep him covered; I gotta look after my friend!” Apple Bloom back over to the hole, where her friends watched the fight. “What’s happenin’? I felt Ankylomon take a bit of a hit.”

Silver Spoon glanced at Apple Bloom. “Andromon used that Spiral Sword attack to try to hit Ankylomon in the head. He managed to roll over at the last second and absorb the blast with his shell.”

“How about Gargomon?”

“He’s trying to do what he can, but it’s hard for him to get a clear shot with Andromon fighting Ankylomon close quarters.”

Ankylomon shook himself off and growled at Andromon. As Andromon slowly approached Ankylomon, Gargomon moved stealthily around the surrounding junk stacks. Or at least as stealthily as he could given his larger form. He hopped to the top of one of the stacks and aimed at Andromon.

But as he shifted into position, the metal creaked beneath him. Andromon stopped, his eyes narrowed.

“GATLING MISSILES!” Andromon launched two missiles, which quickly flew behind him and homed in on Gargomon. A moment later, Andromon began spinning his arm again.

“Aw, crud!” Gargomon quickly turned his guns to the incoming missiles. He fired off a couple of lasers before the missiles returned fire. Gargomon used one arm to shield himself while he continued to fire with the other, which did a number on his ability to aim. In a few moments, the missiles reached their target, and Gargomon flew off the junk stack, which fell apart from the missile impact.

The bulky junk slammed into the ground just as Andromon was about to fire his Spiral Sword at Ankylomon. The resulting tremors knocked him off balance and caused him to miss his shot. Everyone on the sidelines watched as the blast of blue energy spiraled into another part of the factory, causing it to shake.

Ankylomon seized the opportunity and charged Andromon with a headbutt, knocking him back several feet.

“Haha! He got him!” Apple Bloom cheered.

“Yeah…” Silver Spoon looked to Gargomon as he picked himself up and the toppled junk stack beside him. Then turned her attention to Andromon as he wrestled Ankylomon. “I think I have an idea!”

“Huh?” Apple Bloom turned to Silver Spoon.

“I think he only managed to score a hit because the falling junk knocked him off balance. I think our partners can pull through if they keep up the pressure and keep him off-kilter.”

Apple Bloom looked to the fight below as Andromon kicked Ankylomon away before turning to attack Gargomon. “I think Ankylomon can manage that. I remember he caused a mini earthquake during his fight on File Island. You think Gargomon will be able to attack when Ankylomon shakes things up?”

Silver Spoon smiled. “You bet!”

“Alright then, let’s tell them the plan and hope for the best.”

Silver Spoon nodded, closed her eyes, and put a hoof to her temple.

Apple Bloom closed her eyes and focused on her partner. Moments later, she began to see through Ankylomon’s eyes. “Ankylomon, we have an idea! We need you to knock Andromon off balance. Once he’s down, you and Gargomon should be able to attack him. Think you can manage that?”

“I can certainly try,” Ankylomon replied. “But this guy’s one tough customer. No matter what we throw at him, he shrugs it off like it’s noth—”

“SPIRAL SWORD!” Andromon fired another blast of energy at Ankylomon, knocking him onto his side and Apple Bloom out of his head.

Apple Bloom shook her head to shake off the shock. “C’mon Ankylomon; you can do it!”

Ankylomon picked himself while Gargomon launched a barrage of lasers at Andromon. “All right, you ready, Gargomon?”

Before Andromon got too close, Gargomon leaped back onto one of the junk stacks. “Ready!” Gargomon cocked his miniguns with a smirk.

Ankylomon leaped high into the air. “MEGATON PRESS!”

Andromon looked up to see Ankylomon’s massive form bearing down on him. He jumped out of the way moments before he landed. The force of the impact made the ground shake, causing Andromon to stumble.

Gargomon jumped from his perch atop the junk stack, spreading his ears to glide down to Andromon. “BUNNY PUMMEL!” Gargomon’s right gatling gun glowed with green energy. The second he got into range, Gargomon slammed Andromon with a powerful uppercut, sending him flying onto his back.

“TAIL HAMMER!” Ankylomon swung his studded tail down onto Andromon, but he managed to roll away at the last minute. Ankylomon quickly stepped out of range before Andromon could counterattack. As Andromon got up, Gargomon used his Gargo Laser to keep him suppressed.

They repeated this tactic a couple more times. Ankylomon would shake things up with his Megaton Press, then Gargomon would strike when Andromon stumbled, with Ankylomon following up with another attack.

The third time around, things were starting to look grim. The constant attacks were beginning to take their toll on Gargomon and Ankylomon.

“Are we even...doing anything to hurt him?” Gargomon panted. He raised his miniguns for another attack.

“GATTLING MISSILES!” Andromon launched two missiles out of his chest that homed in on Gargomon.

“Oh, come on! Why me?!” Gargomon redirected his aim towards the missiles. But before he could fire a shot, the missiles turned split off to pincer him from two sides. “Wait, what?! That’s just cheating!”

Gargomon frantically fired lasers at the two missiles. He managed to destroy one before the other blew him back into the factory wall.

Apple Bloom looked to Silver Spoon as she doubled over with a grimace. “Come on, Gargomon...hang in there!” she groaned.

“I got you, Gargom—” Ankylomon started.

“SPIRAL SWORD!” Andromon launched a crescent beam of blue energy at Ankylomon, knocking him down.

Andromon slowly walked toward Gargomon, who was starting to glitch out as he leaned against the wall. As he got closer, his drill-like hand spun faster and faster. When he got a few feet away, Gargomon snapped his right arm forward, firing a massive shot of energy out of all the cylinders of his minigun. The blast sent Andromon flying back into an enormous junk pile. As the dust settled, Gargomon reverted to Terriermon.

Ankylomon shook his head clear and looked to the massive junk stack Andromon landed near and how it gently swayed. Summoning up the last of his strength, Ankylomon pushed himself and charged towards Andromon.

“TAIL HAMMER!” Ankylomon slammed his tail into the base of the junk stack and leaped away. Just as Andromon was beginning to stand back up, the whole stack came tumbling down on top of him. In mere moments, Andromon was buried under a veritable mountain of junk.

“And that’s...the end of that!” Ankylomon panted before reverting to Armadillomon. “Hooey! I’m plum tuckered…”

“Armadillomon!” Apple Bloom ran up to her partner and hugged him. “You were amazing out there!”

“Terriermon!” Silver Spoon dashed over to her long-eared friend slumped. “Terriermon?” she gently shook him. “Are you alright?”

“Moumentai…” Terriermon coughed with a smile.

Silver Spoon sighed in relief. “Yep...you’re okay.”

Apple Bloom trotted over to everyone else, her exhausted partner in tow. “What about Veemon? How’s he holdin’ up?”

Babs Seed lowered her partner off her back, gently cradling him. “Hey, V? You okay, pal?”

Veemon looked up at Babs Seed with a loopy grin. "Did you see me, dad? I made the touchdown!”

Babs Seed gave him a flat look, then smacked him across the face with the back of her hoof.

“Gah! What the—” Veemon shook his head as he regained his lisp. In another moment, he leaped to his feet. “Where is he? Where’s Andromon?” He looked frantically around the factory floor for a few moments before seeing the hole in the wall and the wrecked battlefield outside. He slumped forward and turned to Babs Seed. “I missed the whole fight, didn’t I?”

“Yep...sorry, bud,” Babs Seed gently patted Veemon’s shoulder.

As the Digimon recovered from the fight, a series of loud clangs came from the derelict forge. A few moments later, a rucksack was pushed out of an opening before ToyAgumon emerged from its depths.

“I got the parts!” ToyAgumon cheered. “Are we ready to leave?”

“Ready as spaghetti! Let’s roll out!” Skull motioned towards the factory door.

As everyone moved towards the door, Shades looked towards Armadillomon and Terriermon as their pony partners helped them out.

“What’s up?” Apple Bloom asked.

“You’re friends...they digivolved without absorbing data. Then they reverted to their Rookie forms after the fight was over.”

Apple Bloom and Silver Spoon looked at each other. “Um...yeah, that’s right. What about it?”

“It’s just...I’ve heard stories about some Digimon who could do that in the presence of certain humans. Now you all are not human, but you’re also not from the Digital World either.” Shades slowly took off his sunglasses, a look of disbelief and admiration in his eyes. “Are...are you all—”

A loud crash made everyone look behind them, towards the pile of scrap that Ankylomon knocked down. They were focused on the metal fist bursting out, which began shoving bigger pieces of junk aside.

“Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me!” Rumble backpedaled towards the door.

“We gotta get outta here, now!” Babs Seed shouted.

“Way ahead of you!” ToyAgumon shrieked as he waddled faster than anyone thought was physically possible, already several yards ahead of the rest of the team.

Tsukaimon chuckled from his roost, recording the DigiDestined as they retreated with the rest of the scavenger team.

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I call that a successful test! Forces of Mephistomon one, DigiDestined—”

“New target acquired!” Tsukaimon looked down to find Andromon staring back at him.

“Aw crud…” Tsukaimon grabbed his camcorder and flew out of the hole in the wall.

“SPIRAL SWORD!” Andromon launched a blast of energy at Tsukaimon.

“Crud, oh crud, oh crud, oh CRUD, OH CRUD, OOOHH CRUUUUUD!” Tsukaimon shrieked, dodging blast after blast as he retreated.

After making their way back through one of the city’s main gates, much to everyone’s relief, the team returned to the White Flame guildhall. ToyAgumon went back into the workshop to fix his forge with the parts they collected, while Skull and Shades went to the guild master’s office to debrief. The ponies and their partners went to the break room to relax.

“Ugh...what a day, huh?” Scootaloo leaned back on her chair with an exasperated sigh.

“Hard to believe it’s barely into the afternoon,” Rumble looked at his Digivice’s clock.

2:34 P.M.

“After all that, I think I’m ready to take a nap,” Sweetie Belle rubbed her aching legs.

A small bag of bytes was tossed onto the table, making everyone turn towards the thrower, Skull. “Compensation for your services. Thanks for the assist out there.”

“Glad we could help,” Silver Spoon grabbed the coin purse and added it to her Digivice’s inventory.

“Anyway, I heard you needed to restock some supplies. My partner’s willing to introduce you to some honest merchants in the eastern markets. But, ToyAgumon wants you to see him at his forge. He’s pretty excited about the repairs and wants you to see the test run.”

Everyone looked to each other for a moment before Apple Bloom spoke up. “I mean...we’ve got some time.” Everyone else nodded in agreement.

“Alright then, follow me,” Skull gestured towards the door.

After getting their helmets and earmuffs, they followed Skull to ToyAgumon’s forge. Hagurumon was hunched over a table while ToyAgumon finished making adjustments on the control panel.

“Temperature regulation looks good...bellows are functioning properly…” ToyAgumon muttered to himself. Afterward, he turned around with a smile. “Hey guys, glad you could make it.”

Apple Bloom looked at the large forge, which was ebbing with heat. “So, how’s it holdin’ up? All fixed?”

ToyAgumon smiled at the forge. “She lives once more!”

“That’s great!” Scootaloo nodded. “So uh...you wanted us to see the test or something?”

Hagurumon turned around with his creepy smile. “ToyAgumon, it’s all set!”

ToyAgumon nodded to his partner. “Alright, load it up. The metal should be ready to pour in a few moments.”

Hagurumon levitated a mold onto the tray in front of the forge.

“Hagurumon just finished fusing that last piece of the mold we found in the old foundry,” ToyAgumon explained. “I figured that it only fits that we use that for our test. What do you think?”

“I think that’s a great idea,” Apple Bloom smiled.

“Alright then,” ToyAgumon turned to Hagurumon. “Hagurumon, pour the metal!”

Hagurumon looked to the crucible’s control panel and smiled. “I was thinking of letting you do the honors this time.”

ToyAgumon paused. “R-really? Are you sure?”

“Well, I mean, if you don’t want to, then—”

“No no no, it’s fine!” ToyAgumon waddled over to the control panel while Hagurumon took a position at the tray. After confirming he was ready, ToyAgumon pulled the lever.

The hatch on the crucible side opened, and the molten metal flowed down the chute and into the mold. Everyone watched as the two Digimon conducted the same procedure as yesterday, cooling the metal before freeing it from the mold, then hammering it into shape with the mechanical anvil. Once they were satisfied, the metal was cooled again and placed on a table for everyone to see.

“Well, here we are,” ToyAgumon smiled. “Looks like we’re officially back up and running!”

Everyone gathered around the finished product; a large tile with a cross in the middle, interspersed with four small triangles.

“So...what is it?” Skull asked. “What’s this big treasure supposed to be?”

“I don’t know,” ToyAgumon put a claw to his blocky chin. “Looks a little simple to be a guild emblem. Maybe a holy order, or something?”

“No…” Armadillomon hopped on top of a stool. “It’s not an emblem. It’s a Crest! The Crest of Reliability!”

The moment he finished that sentence, the tile began to glow. Everyone stepped back as the tile floated into the air and began to shrink. Moments later, the newly shrunken Crest flew towards Apple Bloom, sliding itself into her Tag.

Apple Bloom smiled ear to ear. “Yeehaw!” she shouted, rearing onto her hindlegs as she cheered. “That’s what I’m talkin’ about!”

“You sound just like your sister,” Sweetie Belle chuckled.

Apple Bloom dropped back down to all fours, her face turning a little red.

“You lot seem to have a knack for finding those Crests,” Skull put a claw to his chin. “Aren’t those supposed to be ancient artifacts? And you found two of them today alone. It’s like they’re drawn to you, literally. What’s the deal here?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Everyone turned to find Guardromon walking towards them with Shades in tow. “Nice work on the forge, ToyAgumon.”

ToyAgumon bashfully rubbed his claws. “I couldn’t have done it without my friends.”

Skull’s mouth dropped open in shock for a moment before curling into a soft smile. He turned his attention back to Guardromon. “What do you mean, guild master?”

“You’ve heard the stories about the DigiDestined from a few centuries ago? The ones who used those very Crests to protect the Digital World?”

“Yeah, sure. But I don’t understand why the Crests would react to—” Skull stopped and slowly turned to the ponies. “Okay...I’m an idiot! That’s the only possible way a Digimon could’ve digivolved without absorbing data beforehand!”

“What? What is it?” ToyAgumon said.

Skull gestured to the ponies. “They’re DigiDestined.”

Everyone in the foundry stopped working and turned to the ponies, removing welding masks or goggles to show their shocked faces.

The ponies looked around nervously, finding themselves at the center of attention.

“Um...hi,” Sweetie Belle weakly waved.

“You’re... DigiDestined?” ToyAgumon was flustered. “Wow! I heard rumors that the DigiDestined had returned, but I never thought I’d get to meet them.”

“Oh, well uh...glad we could uh…” Apple Bloom blushed.

“Use your words, cuz,” Babs Seed teased.

“Regardless,” Guardromon interrupted. “Thank you for your assistance today. It truly has been an honor to meet you all.”

“Yeah, for sure!” Skull smiled. “And, um...sorry if my partner and I were acting like jerks.”

“Yeah,” Shades rubbed the back of his head. “Now then, I believe you still needed to buy some supplies? As I said, I know a few Digimon who will give you an honest bargain. And trust me, that’s extremely difficult to come by in this city, especially for outsiders.”

“Sounds good to me. The sooner we get out of this dump, the better,” Diamond Tiara bit her lip. “Um, no offense…”

“None taken,” Shades shrugged. “When you boil it down to the facts, our city is built in a giant dump.”

“Still, we make the most out of what we’ve got,” Guardromon looked around the foundry, his eyes reflecting a smile. “And you know what? I’m proud of what we’ve managed to accomplish here.”

Apple Bloom looked around. She could tell that everything from the building they stood in, to the projects that the Digimon worked on were all labors of love. And that they took pride in the fruits of those labors. “I can tell…” she said with a smile.

“Right then. We should get going if we want to beat the evening rush,” Shades gestured towards the exit.

“Okay,” Apple Bloom turned to the Digimon of the White Flame Guild. “Goodbye, everyone!”

“Goodbye! Good luck on your journey!” ToyAgumon waved before getting back to work.

The group followed Shades as he led them through the streets of the Scrap City markets. All around them, crowds hustled through tightly packed streets, the shouts of merchants echoed all around as they tried to hawk their various wares.

“He’s not much further now,” Shades said, leading the group into a large market square, where a Sentinel overlooked the various market stalls. “He does have a bit of a stutter, but don’t let that get to you.”

“Yes, it’s a miracle how that fool’s been able to sell anything is something else,” an annoying voice chuckled from around the corner. Everyone stopped as a Goblimon walked out from behind a stall, a smirk on his face.

“What do you want?” Shades shook his head. “And I mean right now, you don’t need to give me your entire list of things that you’ll never get in this lifetime.”

“Shut up! This doesn’t concern you,” Goblimon growled before turning to the DigiDestined. “You’re only you got lucky out of No ‘Mon’s Land!”

Babs Seed blew a lock of hair away from her eyes. “Yeah, we have a knack for that,” she smirked.

“Not anymore,” Goblimon snapped his fingers. A moment later, several Goblimon leaped out from the shadows, throwing nets onto the DigiDestined.

“Hey! What’s the big idea?!” Babs cried out. She struggled as the Goblimon tightened the net around her and her friends.

Silver Spoon glanced at the Sentinel, which still stood silently over the market square. “Why isn’t the Sentinel stepping in? This has to be against the Armistice!”

“Under normal circumstances, it would be,” Goblimon chuckled as he reached into his pouch. “But when action needs to be taken to apprehend a group of wanted criminals, the Sentinels stay on the sidelines.” He pulled out a wanted poster with Silver Spoon’s face on it.

Silver Spoon stared at the wanted poster with a slack jaw. “You’ve got to be kidding me!”

“Yeah, we kinda forgot about that, didn’t we?” Sweetie Belle said from another net.

“The bounty on all of you should be more than enough to meet our quota for this week,” the lead Goblimon rolled up the wanted poster and put it back in his pouch. “Come on, boys, let’s bring ‘em in!”

The Goblimon grabbed the nets and started dragging their captives through the streets. All the while, Shades starred at them with pursed lips.

“Please, help us!” Apple Bloom begged.

Shades put his claws up. “Hey, I can’t risk dragging the guild’s name through the mud by helping wanted criminals. And besides, it’s not like I’m in a position to do anything.”

Shades took off his sunglasses, polishing them as he skirted around the Goblimon. “I hope you all get everything you deserve,” he said with a smile. As he passed by Apple Bloom, he gave her a small wink before putting on his sunglasses. As he passed by one of the Goblimon in the rear, he swung his tail around his ankle, causing him to trip into another stall, knocking over some delicate-looking second-hand gadgets.

“Hey! That’s my livelihood you’re messing up, you clumsy jackwagon!” a large Digimon stormed out from behind the stall.

“Back off, will you! You got any idea who you’re messing with? We’re with the Black Ashes Cartel! If you know what’s good for you, you’ll—”

The shop owner grabbed the Goblimon and shoved him against his stall’s counter. “I don’t care if you’re with the Black Ashes Cartel, the Mythril Scales, or the friggin’ Jade Skull Syndicate! You’re going to pay for all the merchandise you just trashed!”

While the other Goblimon stepped in to prevent the fight from escalating further, Shades crept around the nets and quietly cut them open with his claws. “They’ll have scouts posted at the city’s main gates,” he whispered to Babs. “You’ll need to find another way out of the city.”

After cutting open the last net, Shades slinked away into the gathering crowd. While the argument escalated, the contestants doing their best not to come to blows in front of the Sentinel, the DigiDestined crept away. They had almost made it out of eyeshot when one of the Goblimon turned around.

“Hey! They’re getting away!” he shouted.

“Leg it!” Apple Bloom shouted.

“Forget that! We can take these guys!” Veemon clenched his fists.

“You think that’s a good idea, V?” Babs Seed eyed the Sentinel.

Veemon looked from the Sentinel to the group of Goblimon pushing their way through the crowd. “Grrrr...I hate this town!” Veemon growled before following Babs and the others.

The ponies and Digimon ran through the streets, winding through market stalls, weaving around street lamps and monuments, leaping over stacks of crates, and ducking under angry merchants transporting their merchandise. Eventually, the group came to a stop in a back alley between an apothecary and a run-down convenience store.

As everyone caught their breath, Babs Seed peeled a wanted poster with her face on it off the graffiti-ridden wall. Looking at her comically drawn face and the sizable bounty beneath it, she sighed. “Well...I always wanted to be popular.”

“Same…” Sweetie Belle sighed. Scootaloo nodded beside her.

“Is it everything you thought it’d be?” Palmon asked.

“No…” Sweetie Belle shook her head.

“Nope,” Scootaloo sighed.

“Eh...kinda,” Babs Seed shrugged.

Everyone stared at the amber filly as she rolled up the poster and tossed it into a dumpster. “Say what?” Apple Bloom gaped.

“What? If you wanted to get noticed at my school, you usually had to do somethin’ that would land you in the principal’s office. One time, this colt took his math teacher’s desk supplies and put them in one of the vending machines! Dude was spendin’ an hour payin’ to get his stuff back!”

“Oh my gosh, that’s awesome!” Scootaloo laughed. “How’d he managed to do that?”

“This is a cool story and all,” Silver Spoon got between the two fillies. “But in case you haven’t noticed, we kind of have a situation here! If we don’t get out of this city soon, we’re going to be in serious trouble!”

Babs nodded. “Shades told me that the Cartel would probably have spies on the main gates. If we try going out that way, we’ll get caught for sure.”

“Great…” Diamond Tiara shook her head. “If the gates are being watched, then how the heck are we going to get out of here.”

“Well...I can think of one way,” Babs looked down.

Diamond Tiara followed her gaze to a maintenance hole beneath them. “You...have got to be joking.”

“Diamond Tiara, I—”

“I am not going back down there, slogging through the mud and dealing with the living poop monsters!”

“I think they went this way,” a voice echoed from the crowded streets.

A moment later, Babs and Veemon got to work lifting the maintenance hole cover.

“I don’t like it either, but what other choice do we have?” Apple Bloom said as she pulled her green bandana over her mouth and nose.

Diamond Tiara looked back and forth between the city streets and the now open maintenance hole, which everyone started reluctantly climbing into.

Diamond Tiara made a whining sigh, took a deep breath, and crawled in after them. Hawkmon followed in after her, making sure to pull the metal cover back on top of the hole.

That night, in a remote town on Server, a lone canine Digimon stalked the streets. Ever since he searched the ruins of Myotismon’s castle a few weeks ago, his hunt had taken him far across the continent.

He growled to himself, the eyes on the two head-shaped pauldrons on his shoulders glowed. Weeks of traveling, and he had gotten no closer to his prey!

But then he had heard a rumor. A Tapirmon had visited this village to aid those plagued by nightmares. But a couple of weeks ago, he had mysteriously disappeared. That alone wasn’t enough cause for concern. But he had heard a couple of Digimon talking about how they felt a sudden chill in the air and swore that they saw shadows shifting in unnatural ways the day Tapirmon disappeared.

The dark canine Digimon followed the cold scent of dark magic into a back alley. At first glance, nothing seemed out of place. But he could sense something went down here. A quick look around, and he found a portion of the wall that reeked with his prey’s scent.

“Where are you hiding?” the Digimon growled to himself. “I’ll find you sooner or later…”

Interlude 2: Pony Vs. Wild

View Online

Rumble peered out between the branches of the tree he was perched upon, his monocular over his eye as he scanned the horizon. In the distance, he could see the edge of the scrapyards where Scrap City resided. He slowly swept back and forth along the path his friends and he had run on for the past hour and a half.

“Rumble? Is everything alright?” he heard Bearmon’s voice echo in his head.

“Yeah, I think so,” Rumble pushed his monocular up before jumping out of the tree and gliding back down. He touched down to find his friends sprawled out on the ground and leaning against tree trunks as they all caught their breath. After running for so long, the group had managed to make it to a clearing next to a river. “Looks like we weren’t followed.”

“Oh thank goodness!” Sweetie Belle slumped against Palmon. “I don’t think we could’ve run that far if Piximon hadn’t made us run all those drills.”

Scootaloo nodded. “Trying to find our way out of the sewers was tough on its own. But having to get out of the scrap fields on top of that?” Scootaloo turned to Apple Bloom. “I am so glad you were paying attention during those orienteering lessons in Filly Guides.”

Apple Bloom chuckled.

“Well...I don’t know about anypony else, but after walking through a maze of slimy tunnels and a dump, twice, I need a bath,” Diamond Tiara opened her Digivice’s inventory and brought out a plastic container holding a bar of soap.

“Same,” Babs Seed stood up and stretched before opening her Digivice. “Mind if I join ya?”

“As long as you don’t go upriver,” Diamond Tiara grimaced. “If the whole point is to get clean, I don’t want your filth flowing down onto me.”

“You’re exaggerating’” Babs Seed deadpanned. “Hey cuz’, wanna go for a dip?”

“In a bit, I’m gettin’ kinda hungry,” Apple Bloom sat up. “Hey, Sweetie Belle, what do we got in terms of grub?” A few moments of silence passed. “Sweetie Belle?”

Sweetie Belle stared at the screen projected over her Digivice, her face looking a little pale. A feat that Rumble didn’t believe was possible.

“Um…” Sweetie Belle turned to Apple Bloom. “So, remember how our plan was to restock our supplies back in the city?”

“Oh no…” Apple Bloom slowly got up. The rest of the group turned to Sweetie Belle.

“And remember how we were all chased out of town before we could do that?”

“Oh no no no…”

“Sweetie Belle...don’t tell me we’re out of food!” Scootaloo begged.

“Oh...then maybe I should stop talking,” Sweetie Belle shrunk back.

“You can not be serious!” Scootaloo grabbed her hair. “We really have nothing to eat!”

“Oh boy, here comes hangry Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom sighed.

“What was that?!”

“Nothin’...”

“No, come on. Somepony’s gotta have somethin’!” Babs rapidly scrolled through her Digivice inventory.

All around, everypony was frantically checking their Digivices for even a scrap of food. Before panic could set in, Apple Bloom banged her hoof on a rock to get everyone’s attention.

“Everypony calm down!” Apple Bloom shouted. “Let’s just take a moment, assess the situation, and figure out what to do, okay?”

“Well, the situation is that we’re out of food, and we’re gonna starve,” Silver Spoon deadpanned.

“Okay, partially true, and not very helpful,” Apple Bloom said. “So, what can we do about it?”

“Well, we can’t go back to Scrap City, they’ll be lookin’ for us there,” Armadillomon reasoned. “Maybe we can try lookin’ around here for some grub.”

“There we go!” Apple Bloom patted Armadillomon’s shell. “We’ll look around, and see if we can find some berries or somethin’, just like we did on File Island.”

Diamond Tiara looked around the surrounding woods. “You really think we’ll find something out here?”

“We won’t know unless we try.”

Everyone stared at their pitiful bounty that they had spent the last half hour collecting: a small pile of berries.

“That’s it?” Scootaloo asked. “That’s all we could find?”

“Well, it’s better than nothing,” Sweetie Belle forced a smile.

“Hey everyone,” Apple Bloom trotted up to the group carrying something bundled in her bandana. She placed it over next to the pile of berries, revealing a small collection of large brown mushrooms. “I found a patch of these over by a tree back there.”

“Mushrooms? Ew…” Diamond Tiara scrunched her face. “I’m not eating raw mushrooms.”

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes and picked up a mushroom. “Well, if you want to roast ‘em later, you can. But I’m hungry now.” Before she could put it in her mouth, however, a leafy hand knocked it out of her hoof. “Palmon? What the hay?!”

Palmon grabbed Apple Bloom’s face, a panicked look in her eyes. “You didn’t already eat some of them, did you? Did you?!”

“What? No!”

“Are you sure?” Palmon turned to Armadillomon. “Did she eat any of them?”

“No,” Armadillomon shook his head. “We just found ‘em and brought them here.”

Palmon let go of Apple Bloom’s face, and let out a sigh of relief. “Okay, good. We need to get rid of those, now!”

“Palmon, what’s wrong?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Those are Memory Mushrooms. You eat them, you’ll want to eat more and more. And the more you eat, the more memories you’ll lose. Eventually, you’ll just be an empty shell with mushrooms growing out of you.”

Everyone looked at the gathered mushrooms in horror. “Oh...okay,” Apple Bloom quietly said. She gently picked up the mushrooms and tossed them back into the woods.

“Wait, what about the berries, are they any good?” Rumble stepped away from the berries in question.

Silver Spoon took out the book they bought from the Sleepy Pine Trading Post. She flipped through a few pages before coming to a picture of the red berries they had gathered. “Yeah, they should be fine.”

Sweetie Belle looked at the meager pile of berries. “Is that gonna be enough for all of us? It doesn’t look like a lot.”

A grumbling noise made Silver Spoon turn to Terriermon, who was gently clutching his stomach. Silver Spoon looked back to the berries and sighed. “I think we should give most of it to the Digimon.”

“Wait, what?” Babs turned to Silver Spoon. “Why?”

“Remember back at the prison on Mt. Panorama? Digimon can’t fight on an empty stomach. We’ve got Digimon potentially hunting us down. If they find us, our Digimon need to be able to put up a fight.”

Babs looked between the food, her partner, and her own grumbling stomach. After a while, she sighed. “Yeah, you got a point.”

The food was divided out and given to everyone. Everyone reluctantly agreed that the Digimon would get slightly bigger portions. Even then, it wasn’t nearly filling enough for anyone.

Sweetie Belle put a hoof to her still-grumbling stomach. “So what are we going to do now?”

Apple Bloom bit her lip. “Well, we could keep searchin’ for more berries. We might get lucky and find somethin’ else worth eatin’. But...there’s a possibility that we might go a night without food.”

Everyone looked down, trying to imagine a night without a meal, and not liking the idea one bit.

SPLASH!

Scootaloo’s ears perked up, and she turned to the river. Trotting over to the riverbank, she peered into the shimmering water. A dark shape swam towards a few more of its kind before gliding downstream. “We might not have to,” she smiled.

“What are you talking about Scootaloo?” Guilmon leaned over Scootaloo and gazed into the water.

“I’m saying we can go fishing for our food,” Scootaloo smiled.

“I’d be alright with that,” Rumble nodded.

“Same!” Bearmon’s eyes lit up.

“Uh...I don’t know,” Sweetie Belle rubbed her foreleg. “I’ve never had fish.”

“Silver Spoon said it herself, ponies can digest fish,” Scootaloo gestured to Silver Spoon. “And honestly, it’s pretty good.”

“Um...I don’t know if I’d like the taste, I might not eat any of it,” Diamond Tiara made a sour face.

“You’d be surprised how great it might taste when you’re starving,” Rumble gave Diamond Tiara a flat look. “Besides, does anyone else have any better ideas?”

Everyone looked at each other.

“Didn’t think so,” Rumble turned to Scootaloo. “So, what do you say? Up for a little fishing?”

“You bet!” Scootaloo raised her hoof, meeting Rumble’s in a hoof bump.

While Rumble and Scootaloo went fishing, the rest of the group began setting up camp. Babs Seed finished setting up her hammock and was about to start with Veemon’s. She stopped and looked around the camp for her partner. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were working on the fire, Diamond Tiara was drying herself off after a dip in the river, and Silver Spoon and Terriermon were looking for more berries.

A fluttering noise made Babs look up to see Hawkmon land on a nearby branch. “Well, I couldn’t find anything to eat nearby. But there’s also no sign of any Digimon following us. So, there’s something good, I suppose.”

Babs Seed looked around while Hawkmon preened himself. “Hey, Hawkmon? Have you seen Veemon anywhere?”

Hawkmon stopped. “He’s uh...coping in the woods back there.”

Babs Seed got up and ventured into the woods. “V? Where are you? Everything alright?”

After a few moments, she got no response. She closed her eyes, focusing on Veemon in an attempt to see through his eyes. But when she felt the presence of Veemon’s mind, she felt a solid brick wall separating the two of them.

Babs Seed opened her eyes, and shook her head. Keeping her eyes and ears peeled, she wandered the woods until she heard shouting and some pretty hard impacts. Brushing aside some branches, she found Veemon punching and kicking a dead tree. Judging from the sizable dents in the front and sides of the trunk, he had been training for a while, and pretty hard too.

Babs watched as Veemon threw punches and kicks on precise points of the tree trunk. After a while, Veemon threw a strong roundhouse kick that knocked a chunk of wood off the trunk. He stared at the ruined trunk, panting heavily as he caught his breath.

“Is something wrong, Babs?” Veemon said without turning around.

“I just...wanted to check on ya,” Babs Seed rubbed her leg. “Ya kinda disappeared after we started settin’ up camp.”

Veemon nodded. “I just needed some time alone. Had to clear my head, that’s all.”

Babs Seed sighed. “Is this about what happened in the scrap yards? With Andromon?”

Veemon clenched his fists. “I’ve...never lost a fight like that before. The Goblimon managed to get the drop on me, and Andromon kicked me to the side before I could even do anything!” Veemon punched the tree, letting out a cry of frustration.

Babs waited for a few moments before walking up to Veemon and putting a hoof on his shoulder. “Hey, you got knocked down in the train car. But ya got back up, right?”

“Huh?”

“I’m gonna tell ya something my sista told me. Sometimes, you’re gonna get knocked down. And believe me, odds are ya won’t look good while doin’ it,'' Babs laughed. “But all that matters, is ya get back up and learn from it.”

Veemon turned to Babs. “And what could I learn from getting my butt kicked like that?”

“Well for one, you could stop and think before rushing into fights. I’m not sure if you realize this, but you have a tendency to charge headfirst into fights. Literally. And what happens next is usually a coin toss. You either come out ahead or get knocked on your tail. Maybe, just maybe, if you think before ya charge, you can rig the coin to land on heads whenever you want.”

Veemon looked back to the damaged tree stump and sighed before turning back to Babs. “But...what if I chose tails instead of heads?”

Babs stared at Veemon for a few moments before slamming her hoof into her face. “Ugh! V, you’re killin’ me here! I’m just tryin’ ta—”

Before she could blink, Veemon had an arm around her neck, laughing as he gave her a playful noogie. “I’m just messin’ around with ya, B.”

Babs Seed squirmed her way out of her partner’s assault on her noggin, chuckling as she fixed her mane.

“Ya know somethin’?” Veemon asked. “I’m really lucky I got ya as a partner. You don’t show it often, but I guess you really do have a fighter’s spirit deep down.”

Babs Seed playfully shoved Veemon. “I should be offended that you would think otherwise,” she chuckled. “Now come on. Why don’t you stop moping around and help set up camp?”

Veemon massaged his knuckles. “Sounds like a plan.”

Rumble tightened his grip on his makeshift fishing spear as he hovered over the river. “Alright Rumble, focus!” he whispered to himself. “I am one with my Pegasus heritage. I am a hunter in my element. And this fish...is mine!”

Rumble thrust his spear into the water, and watched as the fish in question darted away. “Alright, you win this one. Come on...here fishy fishy fishies…” Rumble thrust his spear into the water. “I gotcha! Dang it...he got away!” He thrust his spear in the water a few more times, each time missing his mark.

“Hey!” Rumble turned to the shoreline to find an unamused Scootaloo sitting beside Guilmon. “Knock it off dude, you’re scaring off the fish!”

Rumble flew over to Scootaloo, dropping his spear next to hers before landing. “I don’t see you doing any better.”

Scootaloo rolled her eyes and adjusted her fishing rod, a line of plastic thread tied to the end of a stick.

“Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask, where’d you get the string?” Rumble asked.

“Found a couple of spools of it in the abandoned foundry. Thought it might come in handy if we needed to tie something.”

Rumble nodded. “Good thinking. Certainly looks more durable than vines.”

Scootaloo smiled. “Thanks, Rumble.”

“Um...Scootaloo?” Guilmon pointed to the end of the fishing pole, which was beginning to twitch.

“I think I got a bite!” Scootaloo grabbed the line and started pulling it in. “Here comes dinner, baby!” Scootaloo reeled in her catch, and frowned.

“Amazing…” Rumble deadpanned. “You caught the elusive aquatic hiking boot.”

Scootaloo made a sour face as she peeled the shoe off the makeshift hook.

“Hey, Rumble? Where’s Bearmon?” Guilmon asked.

“He’s right—” Rumble turned around, but couldn’t find his fuzzy partner. “-here?”

Rumble put a hoof to his temple and reached out to Bearmon. “Bearmon? Where are you?”

A loud whistle made everyone turn upstream to find Bearmon waving down to them. “Hey, Rumble. Grab Scootaloo and Guilmon and follow me, I could use your help.”

Rumble turned to Scootaloo. “Bearmon says he needs our help, come on!” Rumble grabbed his fishing spear, with Guilmon carrying the extras, while Scootaloo put her fishing pole in her Digivice inventory. They followed Rumble further upstream to a part where the river narrowed a bit. There, they found Bearmon carrying a few large sticks towards a V-shaped cage in the center of the river, near a collection of boulders emerging from the water. It was arranged so that the current flowed into the top of the V.

“Looks like you’ve been busy,” Rumble whistled. “What is this?”

“This—” Bearmon gestured to the cage. “-is a fishing weir. Basically, fish will swim into the large mouth, and they won’t be able to escape through the other end. The current will keep them from going out the way they came in.”

Scootaloo looked at the cage as Bearmon stuck a few more sticks into the riverbed. “That’s pretty clever.”

“Hey, no one stands between this ‘Mon and a catch of fish!” Bearmon licked his lips. “Now, we just need to herd a school of fish into the trap. Rumble, how about you fly over the river and look for fish?”

“Sure thing,” Rumble grabbed a spear and hovered in the air. “It’s funny, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you take charge of a situation like this before. It’s actually kind of cool.” Bearmon blushed as Rumble took off.

Rumble slowly flew over the river, scanning the water. Soon, he found a small group of dark shapes swimming in the water. “I found some fish!” Rumble told Bearmon.

“Alright, I sent Guilmon to help you send them this way.”

“Wait, how is he gonna—”

“Yahoo!” Guilmon cheered as he leaped from the riverside, creating a large splash. The school of fish darted downstream. Rumble flew over the school, jabbing his spear into the water a few times in an attempt to herd them towards the weir. He flew ahead, watching as the water in the jerry-rigged trap was filled with the splashing of desperate fish.

“Yes, it worked!” Bearmon pumped his fists into the air.

“Woohoo!” Rumble landed on a rock beside Bearmon. “Look at all those fish.”

“Look at them making a break for it!” Scootaloo pointed at the edge of the weir. A few of the fish were either swimming through the small opening in at the other end of the weir, or jumping out through gaps in the sticks. One large one jumped out towards Bearmon, ricocheting towards Rumble after knocking the poor Digimon into the water.

“Gotcha!” Rumble caught the fish upside down. “You’re mine now, you scaly little—”

The fish rapidly slapped the colt in the face with its tail, knocking the words from his lips. Rumble dropped the fish onto a rock near Scootaloo while he recovered from the onslaught.

“Oh no, you don’t!”Scootaloo pounced on the fish like a cat. It slipped out of her hooves and was flopping away from her. Thinking quickly, she grabbed one of Rumble’s extra fishing spears and without hesitation, thrust it into the fish. It flopped in place a couple times, before laying still on the rock. “I got it!”

“Blegh!” Rumble shook his head. “My lips taste like scales. Bearmon, you alright?”

Bearmon pulled himself out of the river, soaking wet. “Just great,” he deadpanned as he wrung his baseball cap out.

“Nice job Scootaloo,” Rumble grabbed his spear. He looked over to Scootaloo to find her still staring at the dead fish, her mouth hung open a little. “Scootaloo, you good?”

Scootaloo slowly turned to Rumble. “I...I killed it,” she breathed. “It’s dead.”

Rumble looked from Scootaloo to the fish. “Have you...ever gone fishing before?”

“Once or twice with my aunts. But we would always throw back the fish we caught, we would never kill them.” Scootaloo looked at Rumble. “Wait, have you ever…”

Rumble nodded. “Thunderlane took me fishing to help get some dinner once. My dad loves putting them on a smoker, and he insisted that it always tasted better when you catch it yourself.” Rumble looked at the dead fish and sighed. “Look, I guess I can understand why you’re shaken up by this, but think about it. We were planning on eating it, right?”

“I guess so…”

“Look, if you need to sit this out, then I guess Bearmon and I can—”

“No!” Scootaloo took a deep breath and pulled her spear out of the fish. “No, I think I’ll be alright.”

“Okay, good.” The snapping of sticks made him turn to the weir. “Because I’m not sure how long this thing will hold up. We need to snag as many of these guys as we can.” Rumble was about to toss an extra spear to Bearmon, when he saw him reach into the splashing mass of fish, pull one out, smack it with a rock, and laid it next to three other fish. “Wow...he’s good.”

Rumble and Scootaloo took positions on opposite ends of the weir. “You ready, Scootaloo?”

“Let’s do this!” Scootaloo took a deep breath, then thrust her spear into the school of fish with a fierce battle cry.

Apple Bloom leaned back away from the embers as Babs Seed thrust a large stick into the fire.

“Easy there, Babs,” Apple Bloom said. “Ya don’t wanna smother it.”

“Oh, come on,” Babs Seed rolled her eyes. “It’s getting cold out here.”

Silver Spoon angrily marched into the campsite and sat down by the fire. “We combed this area three times over, and found nothing to eat!”

“Hey, come on Silver Spoon,” Terriermon sat down next to her. “Moumen—”

“Oh, moumantai yourself, Terriermon!”

“Sheesh, somepony’s hangry,” Babs whispered to Apple Bloom.

“I’m absolutely hurious!” Silver Spoon shouted.

Everyone stared into the campfire, a few grumbling stomachs sounded around them.

“Have no fear everyone!”

Everyone turned to find Bearmon and the rest of the fishing party returning with a small bounty of fish, tied up by their tails. Bearmon held up their catch triumphantly. “Tonight, we eat like kings!”

Veemon dropped to one knee and bowed to Bearmon. “All hail Sir Bearmon!”

“Wow! Y'all caught quite a bit!” Armadillomon smiled. “Isn’t that great Apple Bloom?”

“Yeah...great,” Apple Bloom forced a smile.

Armadillomon gave Apple Bloom a glance. “Don’t be a sour puss. You might like it.”

“You got a fire started? That’s good,” Rumble nodded. “We’re gonna go prep the fish. We should be done in about an hour.”

“Wait, what do you mean by ‘prep’ them?” Scootaloo asked.

“Follow me, I think that spot where we were fishing earlier should do just fine,” Rumble gestured downstream. Scootaloo, Guilmon, and Bearmon followed Rumble to a spot near the river, sheltered by a few boulders.

Bearmon hung the bundle of fish from a nearby tree branch, removed a couple of them and placed them on a flat rock next to the river.

“So, what did you mean by ‘prepping’ the fish, Rumble?” Scootaloo asked.

Rumble peered into the water, carefully selecting a collection of sharp rocks. “Yeah...this is the hard part of fishing for food. Let’s just say that if you were having trouble killing the fish, then you might not be able to handle this next part.”

“You see, we gotta get the guts and intestines out of the fish before we can eat them,” Bearmon explained. “And...there’s really only one way to do that.”

“And that is…?” Scootaloo rolled her hoof.

Rumble picked up one of the rocks, which curved almost like a sinister knife, and brought it to the fish’s belly.

Scootaloo’s eyes shrunk to pinpricks. “Oh…”

Everyone looked at the now scaled, gutted, and skewered fish as they cooked around the fire. Rumble had just finished recalling their hunt in all it’s detail.

“I’ll admit, I was surprised Scootaloo was able to see the whole thing through to the end,” Rumble laughed. “Especially when we had to gut them. You were looking a little pale halfway through.”

“Hehehe...yeah,” Scootaloo nervously chuckled.

“Was it really necessary to tell us that part?” Diamond Tiara looked sick.

“Well, now we get to enjoy the spoils of our fishing trip,” Rumble grabbed three cooked fish, passing one to Bearmon, and another to Scootaloo.

Scootaloo barely spared the fish a glance before biting a sizable chunk out of it. She closed her eyes as her smile grew wider and wider. “Mmm! This is amazing!”

“Tastes better after you catch it yourself, right?” Rumble smiled.

The Digimon all grabbed a fish, voicing their elation after tasting such a flavorful morsel. The remaining fillies were still hesitant, however. As Babs watched Veemon gorge himself on his fish, her own stomach growled in response.

“Oh...to hay with it!” Babs Seed reached in and grabbed one of the skewered fish. She stared at the creature’s empty eyes for a few moments before glancing towards Veemon, watching as he carefully ate around the fish’s underbelly, in a way similar to the way she would if she were eating an ear of corn.

Taking a deep breath, Babs brought the fish to her mouth, taking a small bite out of its belly. Feeling everyone’s eyes on her, she slowly chewed the morsel before swallowing it.

“Well?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Is it any good?”

“It’s...tender,” Babs Seed nodded. “And it’s got a nice smokey flavor. And, well...it’s actually not bad.” She finished her quick review by taking another, slightly bigger bite out of her fish.

The other fillies looked at each other before reaching for their own skewers.

“Mmm! This is actually pretty good!” Apple Bloom smiled.

“Just watch where you bite, you don’t wanna get a bone between your teeth,” Scootaloo cautioned.

Sweetie Belle stopped before she took a bite, suppressing a shudder. “Thanks for that,” she muttered before taking a careful, mouse sized bite.

Silver Spoon slowly chewed her fish, her eyes closed in a look of careful analysis. “It does have a nice smokey flavor. But I think it could also use a little seasoning. Maybe lemon, or basil?”

Rumble starred at Silver Spoon. “When did you become a food critic?”

Silver Spoon gave Rumble a blank look and pointed at her Cutie Mark.

“Oh, right. I forgot your special talent has to do with cooking.”

“You know it’s funny, I never would’ve guessed that your talent would involve cooking,” Apple Bloom smiled before taking a bite out of her fish.

“Well, if I wasn’t there when you got yours, I probably wouldn’t think that your Cutie Mark symbolizes helping other ponies understand their talents.”

Apple Bloom paused before looking at the tri-colored shield emblazoned on her flank. It was just as unique as she was, no doubt. And the fact that she shared a similar mark with her best friends made it even more special. But nothing about it gave any indication about her talent for helping ponies earn and understand their Cutie Marks.

“Huh...I guess ya got a point there,” Apple Bloom shrugged before turning back to her dinner. Before she could take another bite, a series of beeps came from everypony’s Digivices.

Everyone looked down to find Anahita’s symbol appearing on their screens. “Hello, DigiDestined,” Anahita said. “Good to see you’re all still going strong.”

“Oh, look who’s graced us with her presence,” Terriermon chuckled as he climbed onto Silver Spoon’s shoulder. “Come to give us some more cryptic nonsense before disappearing again?”

“Why are you on my shoulder?” Silver Spoon grumbled. “I’m not a jungle gym.”

“I apologize for my lack of communication,” Anahita said. “But understand, I can only maintain a secure connection for brief periods of time. And even then, I worry Mephistomon may be listening in.”

Apple Bloom looked to the woods behind her, suddenly fearful of any potential attackers lurking in the growing shadows.

“Anyway, I have a favor to ask of you,” Anahita continued. “I have learned of a nearby town that caught Mephistomon’s interest.”

Moments later, the map function activated, and a marker appeared over an area a few miles away from their camp.

“Um, Sweetie Belle?” Scootaloo turned to her unicorn friend, who was scrolling through her inventory.

“I’m on it!” Sweetie Belle brought out their printed map, and compared it to the holographic one projected by her Digivice. “Hmm...looks like a small town. Has kind of a weird name: Melas.”

“That’s right,” Anahita said. “I need you to go there and investigate. Find out what Mephistomon is scheming, and put an end to it. It’s highly likely that he’ll be acting through local agents and proxies, so stay vigilant. Good luck!”

Anahita’s symbol winked out of existence, and the sound of the running stream and campfire filled the ensuing silence.

“What do you think Mephistomon plans on doin’?” Apple Bloom asked.

“I mean, it looks like a small town,” Sweetie Belle looked at the map. “Wonder what’s so important about it.”

Babs Seed rolled her eyes. “We’ll worry about that tomorrow.”

Veemon tossed the remnants of his fish into the fire, and grabbed another one before lifting it up. “Well in the meantime, I propose a toast to our valiant fishers,” he gestured to Rumble, Scootaloo, and their partners. “Without them, we wouldn’t be enjoying this delicious meal tonight. So, here’s to them!”

“Here, here!” everyone cheered.

“I gotta say Rumble, despite our problems earlier, you’re a pretty good fisherpony,” Scootaloo said. “Maybe you’ll get your Cutie Mark in that?”

Rumble shrugged. “Meh, I don’t really care about getting my Cutie Mark.”

Sweetie Belle spat out the water she drank from her canteen, and Apple Bloom almost choked on a piece of fish.

“WHAT?!” the Cutie Mark Crusaders shouted.

“Oh boy, here we go…” Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes before taking a long swig from her canteen.

As the sun descended, the DigiDestined feasted on their aquatic dinner, chatting and laughing around the campfire until they were full. As the campfire quietly burned to cinders, everyone fell asleep in their hammocks.

Among the shadows dancing around the campsite, a lone Tapirmon with blank eyes quietly drifted over to Sweetie Belle. He quietly brought his paw up to his right ear, where an earpiece hung. “Master, I have acquired the targets,” Tapirmon whispered. “Commencing dream infiltration.”

“Good,” NeoDevimon’s voice crackled through the earpiece. “Get whatever intel about their world you can get from their subconscious. Report back with anything of interest.”

“As you wish, my master,” Tapirmon whispered.

He then turned back to Sweetie Belle’s sleeping form. He closed his eyes and put his paws together, adopting a meditative pose. Tapirmon took a deep breath, then exhaled a cloud of mist that swirled around Sweetie Belle before seeping into her ear.

NeoDevimon turned to Mephistomon, having just finished his conversation with Tapirmon. Mephistomon was focusing on a holographic screen, replaying the audio file they intercepted.

“I need you to go there and investigate. Find out what Mephistomon is scheming, and put an end to it. It’s highly likely that he’ll be acting through local agents and proxies, so stay vigilant. Good luck!”

Mephistomon turned to NeoDevimon. “So, Anahita is guiding those little pests.”

“And she has intel on our next move,” NeoDevimon’s eyes glowed. “This could be a problem.”

“That town contains a critical part of our grand design. If we lose it, our timeline could be pushed back exponentially,” Mephistomon stroked his chin.

“Do you have any ideas?” NeoDevimon asked.

Mephistomon brought up a map of Melas, stared at it for a couple of minutes, then grinned.

Chapter 18: Morning in Melas

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Sweetie Belle yawned, dragging her hooves in the dirt as she followed the rest of her friends.

“You alright, Sweetie Belle?” Palmon asked.

“I’m just a little tired, that’s all,” Sweetie Belle replied.

“You and me both,” Diamond Tiara yawned. “I think that fish gave me weird dreams.”

“Me too,” Sweetie Belle nodded. I was back in Ponyville, wandering through town. Everypony was just going about their everyday lives, talking and working. But something felt weird. I was just kind of hovering around like a ghost.

“Huh...that sounds kinda like how my dream played out,” Diamond Tiara stared at Sweetie Belle. “It’s like I was a ghost tourist wandering through my mansion and Ponyville.”

“I think you two are overthinking this,” Silver Spoon rolled her eyes. “They’re just dreams, so just forget about them.”

“Are you getting hangry again?” Apple Bloom asked. “I know we didn’t have any breakfast this mornin’, but there’s not much we could do about that.”

“Kinda hard when the only options on the menu are leaves and poisonous mushrooms,” Armadillomon agreed.

“No! I’m more upset over the notion that food can cause dreams. I mean, that makes no sense! Who believes that?”

“Clearly, you’ve never had my mother’s Saturday Night Saddle Arabian Fusion Surprise,” Sweetie Belle muttered with a shiver.

“Riiiiiiight…” Scootaloo drawled. “How much further to Melas?”

“Shouldn’t be too far,” Apple Bloom pulled up her map. “At this pace, we’ll be there in a few minutes.”

Sure enough, the town of Melas soon came into view. Unlike the last two places they visited, this town was closer to normal in the ponies’ eyes. Simple one and two-story houses lined the roads. Down one street, they could see the makeshift stands of a marketplace. Down another, they could see an ornate-looking building, maybe a library or church. Save for the lack of heart-shaped architecture; it reminded them of Ponyville.

“Alright then,” Diamond Tiara walked forward. “I say we stock up on supplies first, grab a bite to eat, and see if we can’t find...whatever it is Anahita wants us to find.”

“I agree,” Apple Bloom nodded. “Last time we put that off, we almost got captured by those goons.”

“Hopefully, we can find a stand that doesn’t try to rip us off again,” Sweetie Belle grumbled.

“Can’t we get somethin’ to eat first?” Guilmon pouted. “I’m hungry.”

“We’ll eat soon, buddy,” Scootaloo patted her partner’s leg. “But right now, we need to...are you listening?”

But Guilmon’s eyes were closed, his boxy snout twitching as he sniffed the air. A smile grew on his face, and his massive tail started to wag like a dog. Then he started wandering down a street away from the marketplace.

“Guilmon? Where are you going?” Scootaloo asked, but he ignored her. “Guilmon, wait!”

Scootaloo chased Guilmon through the streets, the others not far behind her.

“Scootaloo, where’s he going?” Babs Seed asked, trotting up alongside Scootaloo.

“I don’t know. He won’t tell me any—” Scootaloo paused. “Wait...does anypony else smell that?”

As the chase continued, others began picking up on what Scootaloo was talking about. It was small at first, but they started smelling faint whiffs of delicious smelling aromas coming from somewhere close by.

Soon they arrived at the source, a small diner near the center of town.

Armadillomon took a deep breath. “Y’all smell that? Doesn’t that smell so good?”

“Okay, so we know where we can grab a bite to eat,” Silver Spoon nodded. “But I still think we should—”

Before she could finish, Silver Spoon looked up to see Guilmon’s tail vanish through the diner’s front door. “Is he serious?” Silver Spoon turned to Scootaloo.

“Hey, you wanna try stopping a hungry Guilmon? Be my guest,” Scootaloo shrugged before following him in.

Silver Spoon looked from the diner door to the group and back, various degrees of disbelief written across her brow. Before she could utter an argument, her stomach growled.

“Alright, fine, let’s grab something to eat,” Silver Spoon rolled her eyes.

Everyone happily walked into the diner, with a few Digimon eating at scattered tables and booths. A waiter brought them to a group of tables, which they pushed together to form one bigger one.

After taking a seat and receiving menus, Silver Spoon still looked distressed.

“Silver Spoon, what’s wrong?” Apple Bloom looked over from her menu.

“Why would you think something’s wrong?” Silver Spoon asked, not even looking up from her menu.

“Probably because your left eye is twitching,” Diamond Tiara noted. “You always do that when you’re stressed.”

Silver Spoon dropped her menu, turning to her best friend with a look that mirrored betrayal. Diamond Tiara just looked over to her with a raised eyebrow. “How can you all be thinking of grabbing a bite right now?” Silver Spoon gestured to everyone.

“Well, we missed breakfast. So, is it really that hard to believe?” Sweetie Belle shrugged.

“Even though we’re here on a mission and—” Silver Spoon looked over her shoulder before dropping her voice. “And in case you forgot, we’re all considered wanted criminals!”

“I didn’t see any wanted posters on the way here,” Hawkmon said. “We might be in the clear in this town.”

Apple Bloom smiled. “I get how ya feel, Silver Spoon, but we can’t go all day on an empty stomach. So, just take a moment to relax and focus on—” Apple Bloom’s gaze drifted left. “Focus on…”

Silver Spoon turned around to find one of the Digimon waiters carrying the thickest pancake she had ever seen. It had to be almost two inches thick! It looked like someone had taken pancake batter, filled a small pan to the brim with it, and somehow scooped out a thick but fluffy pancake.

Silver Spoon turned back to Apple Bloom, her mouth agape. “Did you see that? That thing was huge!”

Apple Bloom shook her head. “Oh...I gotta get one of those!”

“Um, yes, please!” Rumble picked up the menu and quickly scanned it. “Looks like you can get it with your choice of berries, chocolate chips, whipped cream, even honey.”

Bearmon’s ears perked up. “I’m sold!”

“Wait!” Babs Seed put her hoof up, blew a lock of her hair out of the way, and sniffed the air. “Is that pizza? Are they makin’ pizza right now?”

“Why yes,” a passing waiter quipped in. “We always serve items from our breakfast and afternoon menus during this hour. Lots of Digimon come in for our brunch hour.”

“Yes, yes, thousand times yes!” Babs Seed picked up her menu, licking her lips in anticipation.

Seeing her hungry friends getting excited over the menu, in some cases literally drooling, Silver Spoon took another look at the menu. Already she spotted a few choice items that made her smile widen and her stomach growl.

“Oh...I’m stuffed,” Sweetie Belle happily sighed while rubbing her belly.

“That was delicious,” Scootaloo grabbed her drink to take a swig. “What do you think, buddy? How was yours?” Scootaloo gently patted Guilmon’s stomach.

“So good…” Guilmon smiled, struggling to not fall asleep into the remnants of his brunch.

“After eating freeze-dried stuff and whatever we could find on the trail for so long, eating a meal like that was amazing!” Rumble leaned back in his chair.

“Hello there, did you enjoy your meal?”

Everyone turned to find a small Digimon gazing up from the side of the table. He looked like an egg that stood atop two tiny dinosaur legs poking out of the shell. Towards the top, a small hole in the egg revealed two yellow eyes glowing in the darkness. “My name is Digitamamon; I’m the owner of this fine diner. I do hope everything was to your liking.”

Apple Bloom looked to the scattered plates and bowls, containing only scraps and pieces of their meals. “I think it was, thank you,” she smiled.

“Well, here’s your bill,” Digitamamon placed a slip of paper and an empty pouch on the table.

Silver Spoon picked up the bill, her eyes widening. “Whoa! Maybe we should’ve paid more attention to the dish prices.”

Digitamon’s eyes narrowed, glancing to the Digivices on the ponies’ forelegs. “Is that going to be a problem?” he sighed, slightly irritated.

“Hold on a second,” Silver Spoon calmly opened her inventory, bringing out a coin purse. Everyone watched with bated breath as she pulled out various coins. She pulled out a few megabytes and even a couple of terabytes. Silver Spoon deposited the coins into the empty pouch a few tense moments later and gave it to Digitamamon. “There, that should cover it.”

Digitamamon stared at the coin pouch, gently picking it up. “You’re...DigiDestined, right? I’ve seen Digivices like that before. Are you really DigiDestined?”

Silver Spoon glanced at her Digivice. “Well...yeah. Actually, we are.”

Digitamamon’s eyes lit up like he was smiling. “I never thought I’d see the day. DigiDestined in my restaurant...who actually paid their tab!”

Digitamamon skipped away into the kitchen, humming a cheerful tune to himself, leaving behind a perplexed group of ponies and Digimon.

“Okay…” Silver Spoon shrugged. “So, what’s our next move?”

Apple Bloom belched, drawing a few looks from her friends. “Well, we need to take a look at what we’ve got and what we need.”

“Yeah, well, I hate to—” Silver Spoon started.

The door to the diner opened, and everyone inside fell silent. The DigiDestined looked over to find a humanoid Digimon walking towards the kitchen window. He wore a yellow and red full-body suit with zippers all over it, which looked like mouths, and a red vest. He had an indigo cape with DigiCode embroidered inside, which flowed down to his brown gloves and matching brown shoes with crescent moons on the ankles. Atop his head sat a pointed indigo hat with a skull on it. His face was obscured by the collar of his cape and hat, leaving only his green eyes and blonde hair to be seen.

The mystery Digimon barely spared any of the other customers a glance as he walked through the diner, as other Digimon tried to avoid eye contact or inch further away from him.

“Excuse me? Is Digitamamon around?” the Digimon asked in a calm, smooth voice.

The Digimon in the kitchen flinched for a moment and tried to stay focused on their cooking.

“Ah, Wizardmon,” Digitamamon emerged from the kitchen, his eyes hinting at a smile. “What brings you here? Was something wrong with your delivery?”

“Oh no, the food was delicious as always,” Wizardmon said as he pulled a small pouch from beneath his cape and placed it on the counter. “It’s just that the courier seemed to be in a bit of a hurry. He just dropped the food off and ran without collecting his pay.”

Digitamamon glanced back into the kitchen, toward a smaller Digimon cowering behind a box of spices. “I’m sorry about his behavior, Wizardmon,” Digitamamon sighed. “I’ll have a talk with him.”

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing I’m not used to,” Wizardmon shook his head. “Thanks again for the meal.”

“Always good to see you,” Digitamamon nodded.

Wizardmon gave a slight bow before walking out of the diner. In a few seconds, the tension in the air began to deflate.

“That was...weird,” Palmon shivered.

“Why was everyone else acting like that?” Sweetie Belle asked.

Silver Spoon shrugged. “As I was saying. I hate to break it to everyone, but that little feast of ours put quite a dent in our funds,” Silver Spoon dropped the now much lighter coin purse on the table. “We still have some money, but I’m not sure how far it will take us.”

“Don’t ya think we oughta focus on findin’ Mephistomon?” Apple Bloom asked.

“But we don’t even know if Mephistomon is here. Anahita said he could be working through other Digimon,” Rumble noted.

Hawkmon put a feather to his beak. “And if that’s the case, I doubt that they would make their intentions open. We’d probably have to conduct a lengthy investigation.”

Palmon leaned forward. “Which means we could be here for a few days…”

Silver Spoon gently weighed the coin purse in her hoof. “Let’s see. We’re gonna need food, supplies, and if we’re staying here for a few days, a place to sleep.”

Everyone began debating on what action to take next. Some wanted to start searching for Mephistomon’s agents as soon as possible; others wanted to focus on getting supplies. And then there was the question of money and how to get more of it. A couple of minutes later, the debate turned into a full-fledged argument, drawing attention from the other customers in the diner.

Diamond Tiara took a deep breath, then looked through her inventory. She pulled out her tiara, fixing her hair before placing it gently atop her head. “Alright, everypony, listen up!” Everyone turned to Diamond Tiara. “Here’s what we’ll do. We’ll all split up and take odd jobs here and there across town. This way, we can get the lay of the land and earn some money.”

“That’s...not a bad idea,” Apple Bloom nodded.

“It would solve a number of our dilemmas,” Hawkmom agreed.

“Hmm…” Babs Seed’s gaze drifted around the diner. Her eyes landed on a poster near the front door with the words “Help Wanted” written in DigiCode. “Maybe we could work here?”

“Maybe, but we should take some more jobs across town if we want to get as much information as possible,” Diamond Tiara swirled the ice water in her cup. “A wider net catches more fish after all.”

“When did you get into metaphors?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Also, why did you put your tiara back on?”

Diamond Tiara adjusted her tiara. “I don’t know. Just kind of felt like it would help me focus. Get me into that commanding mindset, you know?”

“I guess that makes sense,” Scootaloo shrugged. “Hey, Silver Spoon, wanna see if they’ll let you work in the kitchen?”

“That would be an interesting experience. Sure, why not?” Silver Spoon nodded.

“Yeah, I’ll join ya too,” Babs Seed said. “It could be fun.”

“Oh, can I go too?” Guilmon asked.

“If he’s going, then so am I,” Scootaloo added. “Someone’s gotta reign this lug in around all that food.”

“Alright, you’ll check this place out. The rest of us will search for jobs in town,” Diamond Tiara gently dabbed her lips with a napkin before hopping out of her seat. “Everyone ready to go?”

After finishing their brunch, the gang split up into groups to look for jobs, as Diamond Tiara suggested. Silver Spoon, Scootaloo, and Babs Seed stayed at the diner. Meanwhile, Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara ventured into the town’s market with their partners.

“You think we’ll find jobs here?” Apple Bloom looked around the streets lined with makeshift stands. “Most market stalls back home usually have one pony sellin’ things. The only time you’ll see more than one pony per stand is if they’re close friends or family runnin’ a bigger stall.”

Diamond Tiara fixed her hair, now without her tiara. “I know. But there’s usually more to a stand than just a sales pony selling things. We could get odd jobs at some of the bigger stands. If nothing else, we’ll get an idea of who to buy supplies from when we’ve got the money.”

“Okay, but what about finding clues about Mephistomon?” Hawkmon asked.

“Well, if the market here is anything like back home, then it’ll be a popular meeting place,” Diamond Tiara reasoned. “If we’re lucky, we might be able to pick up on some gossip that could point us in the right direction.”

Apple Bloom stared at Diamond Tiara. “Wow...that’s pretty clever.”

“Ya really thought this through, didn’t ya?” Armadillomon said.

“Well, what can I say?” Diamond Tiara smirked. “I can be full of good ideas.”

“Or full of hot air,” Apple Bloom whispered to Armadillomon, who gave a quiet chuckle in response.

The four friends wandered through the bazaar, weaving through market stalls and dodging hawkers selling trinkets that no one needed. Eventually, their search brought them to a lonely corner of the bazaar, where they spotted a familiar-looking Digimon.

“Come check out Bits and Baubles,” said a small turtle-like Digimon. “From basic to beautiful, to everything in between, I’ve got it all.” The Digimon adjusted his oversized metal helmet before locking eyes with Apple Bloom.

“Kamemon? Is that you?” Apple Bloom smiled.

“Oh, hey!” Kamemon smiled. “It’s Apple Bloom, right? It’s been a while. How are you and your friends doing?”

“All things considered, we’re doin’ pretty well, how ‘bout you?” Apple Bloom looked at Kamemon’s stand. “Settin’ up a new shop?”

“It’s a little...humble compared to your old trading post,” Diamond Tiara grimaced.

“Every great tree sprouted from a tiny seed,” Kamemon smiled. “And yeah, it’s been difficult starting a shop from scratch this far away from my old trading post, but I’ll get by. But enough about me. What brings you to Melas?”

“Well, we’re here to—” Apple Bloom started.

“We were passing through to pick up some supplies,” Diamond Tiara interrupted.

Apple Bloom glanced at Diamond Tiara. “Yeah, why don’t we take a look at what we got for a second.” Apple Bloom motioned for Diamond Tiara to come over. Apple Bloom booted up her Digivice’s inventory, keeping their backs to Kamemon. “What the hay, Diamond Tiara?” Apple Bloom whispered. “Why don’t we tell him why we’re here? He might be able to help us.”

“First off, because he might not believe us,” Diamond Tiara whispered back. “And two, I’m not a hundred percent sure we can trust him. I mean, remember what happened the last time we got supplies from him? He drugged us to try and pay off his loan shark debts!”

“Oh come on, he said he was sorry about that,” Apple Bloom rolled her eyes.

Diamond Tiara turned away with a pout. “Still pretty angry about it, though.”

“Look, at the very least, we can get supplies and information from him. Maybe even a job?”

Diamond Tiara glanced back to Kamemon, watching as he showed his merchandise to Armadillomon and Hawkmon. “Alright, fine. But if he offers us any baked goods, all bets are off.”

“Fair enough,” Apple Bloom agreed.

The two fillies turned back to Kamemon, smiles on their faces. “As I was saying, we need to pick up some supplies,” Diamond Tiara continued.

“Yeah, but we’re a bit worried that we might not have enough money,” Apple Bloom scratched the back of her head. “And we might be in town for a few days, so we were lookin’ for odd jobs around town.”

“Really?” Kamemon rubbed his chin for a moment. “Well, maybe I can give you something to do. If you can help me with advertising and selling my merchandise, I can pay you a small salary at the end of the day.”

“Yeah, we could do that,” Apple Bloom nodded.

“Yeah, sure…” Diamond Tiara said, looking over her shoulder.

“Is something wrong?” Hawkmon asked.

“It’s just...I’m worried that someone here will recognize us,” Diamond Tiara whispered. “Silver Spoon might be a bit paranoid, but she has a point. We forgot about that in Scrap City and nearly got caught. How long until somebody sees a wanted poster?”

Kamemon chuckled. “Oh...I don’t think you need to worry about that.” Making sure no one was looking, he reached under the counter and pulled out a wanted poster, just enough for the fillies to see a portion of Diamond Tiara’s crudely drawn face. “I’ve only seen them a few times, but I take them down when no one’s looking. They make for some excellent kindling,” Kamemon said as he quickly put the poster away. “As far as I’m concerned, the things they’re accusing you of are untrue.”

Apple Bloom smiled. “Thanks, Kamemon. So, where do we start?”

Meanwhile, Rumble and Sweetie Belle wandered from building to building towards the center of town, looking for potential jobs. It wasn’t going well.

“Ugh, this is getting stupid!” Rumble sighed. “I know I’m not the best at reading DigiCode, but I could’ve sworn that the sign said: Help Wanted!”

“No, it did,” Bearmon assured him. “It was weird, though. The Digimon at the florist seemed like he was ready to hire us.”

“Yeah,” Palmon nodded. “But then his tone seemed to change after Sweetie Belle caught that falling vase with her magic.”

“His tone didn’t just change; he flipped out!” Sweetie Belle threw her hooves up. “He practically chased us out with a broom.”

“Hmph...weirdo,” Rumble shook his head. “Come on. Let’s see if we can find a job run by someone who doesn’t have issues.”

With Sweetie Belle still fuming, the group wandered through town. Eventually, they came across a town square, with a giant statue standing proud in the middle of it. The figure was a regal humanoid Digimon with a canine head and two large, feathered wings.

“Wow, look at that!” Sweetie Belle galloped over to the statue. “Who is this?”

“That’s Anubismon, judge of the Digital World,” Palmon said.

“Oh yeah, Elecmon told us about him, didn’t he?” Rumble put a hoof to his chin. “He’s the guy who decides whether Digimon get to come back to life or get sent to the Dark Area, right?”

“That’s right,” Bearmon nodded. “A lot of Digimon see him as the avatar of justice.”

Everyone spent a few moments admiring the statue before continuing on. Around the corner was a large ornate but old-looking building. A few Digimon hung out outside, and a few were seen walking in and out of the building.

“What is this, a library?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“It has to be,” Rumble sniffed the air. “I can smell the musty pages and boredom from here.”

Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes before trotting up the steps. The interior was well kept, with a relatively spacious lobby. A massive chandelier hung above them, with two balconies showing peeks of a second floor filled with bookshelves. A circular counter made of marble sat where a large Digimon returned a book to the right.

She was a white sphinx Digimon, her hind legs were that of a ferocious cat, her front was covered in shimmering silver armor with golden accents. Her face was hidden behind a mask displaying an expression that conveyed no emotion.

“Wow, she’s beautiful,” Sweetie Belle smiled as she brought up her Digivice.

Name: Nefertimon
Level: Armor
Attribute: Vaccine
Attacks:
Rosetta Stone
Queen’s Paw
Cat’s Eye Beam

“Oh, she’s an Armor level Digimon?” Sweetie Belle asked. “That’s neat.”

“Sweetie Belle?” Palmon gently nudged her.

“Yeah?” Sweetie Belle switched off her Digivice and looked up to find Nefertimon staring down at them. “Oh! Um...hi there.”

Nefertimon stared at the little ponies and their partners for several moments. “Why hello there, little ones,” she said in a neutral but friendly voice. Sweetie Belle could easily imagine a small smile behind her mask. “I don’t believe I’ve seen you before. What brings you to our lovely library?”

“Oh, um…” Sweetie Belle started.

“Just some tourists exploring the town,” Rumble smiled.

“Hmm,” Nefertimon nodded. “Well, I have some business to attend to. But please, do enjoy the library,” she said with a flourish of her wings.

Sweetie Belle watched as Nefertimon left the building, other Digimon giving her a respectful berth.

“She seems nice,” Sweetie Belle said.

“Yeah, and did you see how those Digimon would give her space like that?” Bearmon said.

“Is she some kind of celebrity or something?” Rumble asked.

“Mayor, actually,” a small voice said from behind the library counter. A tiny, green caterpillar Digimon crawled onto the countertop. “That was the mayor of Melas. She came by to return a book on our town’s founder.”

“And you are…?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“I’m Wormmon, the librarian,” the Digimon answered proudly.

Rumble snickered. “So, the library is run by a literal bookworm?”

Rumble’s laughter quickly wilted under Wormmon’s flat gaze. “Wow…” Wormmon sighed. “I swear if I had a megabyte for every time I heard that joke, I could single-handedly fund a new wing of the library.”

“Oh, come on, I meant that endearingly,” Rumble chuckled. “Come on, Bearmon, back me up here.”

“Um...I’m not getting involved in this,” Bearmon bashfully adjusted his cap.

“Bad puns aside—” Wormmon shot a glare towards Rumble. His expression softened when he turned back to Sweetie Belle. “How can I help you today?”

“Well, we’re going to be staying in town for a while, and we were looking for ways we could earn some money while we’re here,” Sweetie Belle said. “Is there some kind of job board or something around here that we could look at?”

Wormmon closed his eyes for a moment, lost in thought. “Hmm...well, we have a few assistant jobs right here. If you can follow our rules, keep things in an orderly fashion, and cut down on the librarian jokes, we’d love to have you.”

Rumble raised his right hoof, placing his left one over his heart. “I promise only to try,” he smiled.

“We’ll help in whatever way we can,” Sweetie Belle assured him. “So, where do we start?”

Wormmon pointed to a cart of books beside the desk. From what Sweetie Belle could tell based on the titles, they consisted of history, non-fiction texts, and a cookbook or two. But there were also a lot of books that detailed various areas of magic. “You see those books? They need to be put back on their proper shelves. If you follow me, I can show you how our sorting system works.”

Later that evening, everyone met up in the center of town, near the Anubismon statue. Sweetie Belle and Rumble were the first ones, followed by Apple Bloom, Diamond Tiara, Armadillomon, and Hawkmon. “So, how did everyone do?” Sweetie Belle asked. “We managed to get jobs at the library.”

“I never thought I’d stoop so low,” Rumble groaned.

“Quiet you!” Sweetie Belle jabbed Rumble. “It wasn’t that bad.”

“I thought it was kind of interesting,” Bearmon smiled. “Did you know that it’s one of the oldest libraries on the Server continent?”

“See? We’ve been there for less than a day, and it's turning my partner into a fuzzy nerd!” Rumble threw his hooves up in exaggeration.

“Hey!” Bearmon whined.

“At least you were inside most of the day,” Diamond Tiara wiped her brow. “Kamemon had us running deliveries and helping around his market stall all day.”

“Yeah, it got pretty hot today,” Apple Bloom nodded.

“Wait, Kamemon?” Bearmon looked up.

“As in, the turtle Digimon who drugged us in his basement?” Rumble asked skeptically. “You’re working for him?”

Before Apple Bloom could elaborate, Veemon walked in with Babs Seed in tow. Babs was wearing a small billboard with the words “Half off this weekend!” written in Digicode, which awkwardly hung across her barrel.

Babs let out a long sigh. “I look ridiculous,” she groaned.

“Hey, at least you didn’t have to lug a bunch of crates full of ingredients back and forth all day,” Veemon massaged his muscles before chuckling. “And you didn’t have to spend all day in what Scootaloo was wearing.”

“I was about to ask, where are Scootaloo and Guilmon?” Sweetie Belle asked.

A moment after she said that, an exhausted-looking Guilmon trudged up to the group wearing an advertisement like Babs Seed was. Behind him came Scootaloo, wearing a chicken costume that covered everything but her legs, advertising a massive sale on fried chicken.

Barely suppressed chuckling began making its way around the group.

“Hey Scootaloo,” Diamond Tiara chuckled. “That costume—”

Scootaloo lifted the beak of her costume, revealing a glare that could turn one to stone. “Make a snarky comment about the costume; see what happens!” she growled.

“Right, shutting up now,” Diamond Tiara shrank back.

“Why would you of all fillies wanna wear that thing?” Apple Bloom said in between snorts and chuckles.

Scootaloo slowly turned her glare towards Babs Seed.

“Hey, don’t give me that look. You lost the coin toss,” Babs Seed shrugged. “Coin toss is sacred, you know that.”

“Hold up,” Rumble counted the present members of their party. “Aren’t we short somepony?”

“Yeah, where’s Silver Spoon and Terriermon?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Can’t feel my legs!” Silver Spoon gasped out from behind Sweetie Belle, making her jump. She had just enough time to get out of the way before the gray filly collapsed next to her. She was wearing a tiny apron and a hair net.

“What the—” Sweetie Belle shook her head. “Where did you come from? Do ponies just appear when I mention their names?”

“Sil? You uh...you okay?” Diamond Tiara asked as she helped up her friend.

“So many plates…” a voice said behind them. Everyone looked to see Terriermon slowly walking towards them, seemingly in a trance. “Soap, scrub, rinse, repeat. Soap, scrub, rinse, repeat.”

“Uh...Terriermon?” Armadillomon walked up to Terriermon as he continued his mumbling.

“Geez, what happened at that diner?” Rumble stared at Silver Spoon and Terriermon with wide eyes.

“Digitamamon had us cleaning for most of the day,” Silver Spoon sat up. “Terriermon was doing dishes. I was scrubbing the floors and countertops. And in a kitchen like that, we were definitely busy.”

Armadillomon nudged Terriermon, causing him to jolt. “STAINLESS STEEL POTS!” he shouted, making Armadillomon stumble back and curl up into a ball.

“It’s alright, Terriermon, calm down!” Bearmon glanced around. “You’re starting to make a bit of a scene here,” he whispered.

Everyone looked around to find other passing Digimon giving them odd looks.

“Uh, sorry,” Terriermon shook his head with a laugh. “It’s all good, moumentai!”

“So, did we all get paid?” Apple Bloom asked. “‘Cause Kamemon paid us today.”

“Same here,” Sweetie Belle said.

“Yep,” Babs Seed pulled out a small pouch of bytes.

Palmon looked over her shoulder before lowering her voice. “Don’t suppose any of us found anything about you-know-who?”

“Nope,” Diamond Tiara shook her head.

“All we heard were talks about good food and hot tempers,” Babs Seed shrugged.

Everyone else voiced their findings or lack thereof in this case. Afterward, they counted their money. “Reckon this is enough to get us some supplies?” Apple Bloom asked.

“It’s definitely a good start. We should be able to get some food for the next day or two,” Hawkmon nodded. “But we should probably keep working while we search.”

“Fine, but I’m gonna have a serious talk with Digitamamon about this stupid costume!” Scootaloo growled as she wrestled the degrading outfit off of her. “So, any idea where we’re gonna sleep while we’re here?”

“Any good hotels around here?” Veemon asked.

“Well, there was an inn that was supposedly pretty cheap,” Apple Bloom scratched her head. “But it’s goin’ through some kinda renovations.”

“I checked out some other decent places, but they’re pretty expensive,” Diamond Tiara noted. “Even if we get a room at the less costly places, it’ll put a steady drain on our money.”

“So...that really leaves us with one option,” Apple Bloom sighed.

Everyone looked at each other and sighed.

Having found a suitable spot outside of town, the group set up camp. Using their tarp and any other nearby material, shelters were built. Unlike the previous evening, this campsite was set up for an extended stay, rather than a single night. Although everyone had been cheated out of spending the night in a soft bed, they were determined to make the best of their situation.

After setting up her shelter, Silver Spoon laid down on her blanket to catch her breath.

“Yeah, I feel you, girl,” Terriermon sat down next to her massaging his arms. “I’m still pretty sore from all that scrubbing. You think we should get different jobs tomorrow?”

Silver Spoon sat up with a smile. “Actually, as crazy as it sounds...a part of me is looking forward to going back to the diner.”

“Wait, what?” Terriermon leaned back. “You actually want to go back to scrubbing floors and dishes?”

“It’s not that. It was just interesting seeing a working kitchen like that. Sure, we were cleaning most of the time, but it was neat seeing everyone working together to get all those dishes out.”

“It was less nice when the dishes came back,” Terriermon grumbled.

“Oh, quit your griping,” Silver Spoon nudged Terriermon. “Wasn’t there anything you enjoyed about the job?”

Terriermon thought for a moment. “Well, I guess it did smell pretty nice in there.”

“Right?” Silver Spoon wrapped a foreleg around her partner’s shoulder. “And who knows? Maybe I’ll get a chance to help make a couple of dishes.”

“Hey guys, we’re back,” Diamond Tiara walked into the camp with Hawkmon, Sweetie Belle, and Palmon.

“Hey Diamond, how was the grocery shopping?” Scootaloo asked.

“It went pretty well,” Diamond Tiara said as she and Sweetie Belle began unloading groceries from their inventories. “Got some stuff to make stew for tonight and a few other things that should last for a while.”

Apple Bloom trotted over to help sort through the groceries when her eyes settled on a small, sealed brown plastic bag. She picked it up, read the label, and looked at Diamond Tiara and Sweetie Belle with a raised eyebrow. “Hot cocoa?”

Diamond Tiara shrugged. “Figured it’d be a bit less intense than coffee.”

“Yeah, we saw it on sale and thought it might be good on cold mornings,” Sweetie Belle smiled. “We even got a good deal on a camping coffee pot.”

Silver Spoon looked over the small collection of food when an idea came to her. “You mind if I borrow this?” she asked as she took a small tomato and put it in her inventory.

“What are ya gonna do with that?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Science experiment,” Silver Spoon said. “I want to see if food expires in the Digivice. If it preserves food, we might be able to cook a few good meals that don’t involve just boiling it in water.”

“Hmm...I like the sound of that,” Apple Bloom nodded.

“By the way, promise me you all won’t freak out, but I bought these at the market too,” Sweetie Belle smiled as she brought out a bag of marshmallows.

In the dark of the night, everyone was gathered around the light of a glowing campfire, roasting marshmallows after dinner.

“Sweetie Belle, these were a great find. Thank you,” Apple Bloom said.

“Yeah. I feel like it’s been ages since we all just roasted some marshmallows together,” Scootaloo said as she put a marshmallow on the end of her stick.

“Thanks, everypony,” Sweetie Belle smiled. “I’m just sorry I couldn’t get the rest of the stuff for s’mores.”

“Hey, don’t sweat it, girl,” Babs Seed said. “These are good on their own.”

“Really? Because honestly, I don’t get these things,” Veemon said as he pulled his stick out of the fire, watching his marshmallow burn. “You say you’re supposed to eat these things after you roast them?”

“Yeah, after ya roast them, not incinerate them,” Babs Seed chuckled. “Can’t really eat ‘em after they’re all black and charred.”

Veemon looked across the campfire. “Tell that to Guilmon.”

Everyone looked to see Guilmon pull a marshmallow out of the fire. He smiled as he watched it cook to a fluffy black crisp before plopping it in his mouth. “Mmmm...crunchy,” he smiled.

Babs shuddered. “To each their own, I guess. Here, let me show you.”

“So, Sweetie Belle,” Scootaloo said while she focused on roasting the perfect marshmallow. “Rumble was telling me about some incident at the florist? The owner chased you out with a broom?”

“Please don’t tell me Palmon got into a fight with another florist,” Diamond Tiara groaned. “I really don’t want to have to put up with that again.”

“Don’t look at me,” Palmon put her hands up.

“Yeah, I don’t know what happened,” Sweetie Belle shrugged. “The Digimon there was a nice guy. But then I caught a vase with my magic, and then he looked at me like I was a ghost or something.”

“Yeah, the looks he was giving you kind of reminded me of the ones the diner was giving that Wizardmon,” Rumble stared at his semi-roasted marshmallow in contemplation. “Does everyone in this town just hate magic or something?”

“Actually, I think I might be able to answer that,” Bearmon said as he put a marshmallow on his stick. “I asked Wormmon some questions about the town. Turns out it has a bit of a troubled history with magic users. About a hundred years ago, there was some sort of scare about a group of amateur mages attempting some ritual to control the weather or something.”

“Wait, do Digimon really need to do some big ritual just to control the weather?” Scootaloo asked.

Palmon raised an eyebrow. “Well, I don’t know anything about magic, but I know the weather would be pretty difficult to control.”

“Except it’s really not,” Rumble said. “My mom showed me how she waters her garden with a small rain cloud. Just position it over the plants and give it a soft kick.”

Armadillomon stared at Rumble. “Are you...pullin’ my paw right now?” He turned to Apple Bloom. “Can ponies control the weather?”

“Just the pegasus ponies,” Apple Bloom shrugged. “It’s kinda their thing.”

“So wait, no one controls the weather in this world?” Scootaloo asked.

“Um...excuse me?” Bearmon raised a finger.

“Oh, right,” Rumble blushed. “Sorry, we didn’t mean to interrupt you, Bearmon.”

“Anyway, the ritual went bad, and the village was hit with several natural disasters. A tornado, heatwave, flash flood, and a hailstorm. All in the same day.”

“Is that even possible?” Rumble leaned back.

Bearmon shrugged. “Magic finds a way, I guess. After that, most Digimon who use magic are confined to the eastern edge of the town. They’re allowed to come and go, but no one ever seems to trust them. Apparently, Wizardmon tried to help improve the town’s opinion on magic a couple of years ago.

“The story’s a little vague, but it involves a curio shop. It had opened about a week prior and hadn’t pulled in many customers. Wizardmon came along and offered to use some illusion enchantments to create a more interesting experience.”

“I’m guessing things didn’t go as planned?” Hawkmon asked.

Bearmon fidgeted with his cap. “Well, it started out alright. The illusions created a mystical atmosphere that really pulled in customers. But after a few days, they started harassing customers. Then they began spreading to neighboring houses, disrupting Digimon in their sleep. Eventually, they had to abandon that entire street, closing it down and labeling it as haunted.”

“Yikes…” Rumble idly poked his stick in the fire.

“Sounds like the aftermath of a Cutie Mark Crusaders shenanigan,” Silver Spoon muttered.

“Hey! When have we done somethin’ like that?!” Apple Bloom asked.

Silver Spoon gave her a flat look. “Summer Wrap-Up Festival, the fireworks catapult.”

The Cutie Mark Crusaders shared awkward glances. “At least we got an award for that,” Apple Bloom muttered.

“Destructive good intentions aside, we should stay focused on our mission,” Hawkmon raised his finger. “If our foes are as crafty as we think they are, I can imagine they won’t hesitate to use this town’s paranoia for their own gain.”

“They did manage to frame us for destroying Candlelight Village,” Diamond Tiara remembered.

“Think they’ll try to destroy this town too?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Maybe…” Hawkmon rubbed his beak.

“What’s so important about this town anyway?” Rumble asked. “It’s like Sweetie Belle said last night. As far as I can tell, it’s just some ordinary town, nothing special about it.”

“I mean, there’s the library?” Bearmon offered. Rumble rolled his eyes with a groan.

“He’s got a point there,” Silver Spoon said.

“Whaddya mean?” Terriermon asked.

“Well, the whole attack on Candlelight Village was meant to draw unwanted attention to us, right? Is he going to try a similar frame-up here?”

“If that’s the case, we’ll be ready this time!” Scootaloo pumped her hoof up.

“In any case, we should keep our jobs and keep a sharp eye out for anything suspicious,” Hawkmon concluded.

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. Afterward, the conversation turned to more casual topics before everyone went to bed.

The next day, everyone was on their way to their respective jobs while Babs Seed talked about a strange dream she had the other night.

“So, we were walkin’ through the woods. Our Digimon were with us, and we were havin’ small talk and all that.”

“But…?” Apple Bloom raised her eyebrow.

“But the Digimon could only talk by sayin’ their names or parts of their names. Like, Veemon would be sayin’ things like, ‘Veemon Vee, Veemon!’ And everyone else was actin’ like everything was normal, and I was just goin’ insane!” Babs put her hoof to her head. “Ya know what I mean?”

Veemon looked to Babs Seed and cocked his head. “Vee?”

Babs Seed blinked, then shoved her partner back. “That’s not funny!”

Veemon chuckled. “All joking aside, that sounds ridiculous.”

“Yeah, can’t imagine tryin’ ta have a talk with your partner when ya talk like that,” Armadillomon said.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

As they drifted towards the center of town, the atmosphere grew tenser. Digimon rushed towards the town square, talking in hushed, panicked tones.

“What’s going on?” Rumble asked.

The DigiDestined followed the crowd, watching as groups of Digimon turned into small streams trickling towards the center of town. Pushing their way through the crowd, they made their way to the Anubismon statue. Someone smeared the statue with various graffiti, and a blindfold was placed over the statue’s eyes.

What drew everyone’s attention was the latest addition to the town square.

Apple Bloom leaned over to Sweetie Belle. “Is that…Melas’ mayor?”

“Uh-huh…” Sweetie Belle nodded, a slight quiver in her voice.

Beside the Anubismon statue was Nefertimon on her hind legs as if preparing to attack or recoiling from one. What sent chills through the crowd, though, was the fact that she stood frozen in that pose; every inch of her body turned to stone.

“And the plot thickens…” Rumble muttered.

Digimon: A New Legacy of DigiDestined

by ShadowBolt96

Chapter 1: Kicking off the Summer

Chapter 2: Welcome to the Jungle

Chapter 3: The First Night

Chapter 4: The Village of Beginnings

Chapter 5: Rescue at Mt. Panorama

Chapter 6: Attack on Primary Village

Chapter 7: The Grey Lord's Mansion

Chapter 8: We came, we saw...time to go!

Chapter 9: Beyond the Horizon

Interlude 1: Are We There Yet?

Chapter 10: Logging into Server...

Chapter 11: Business is Slow

Chapter 12:Thorns and Roses

Chapter 13: A Secret in the Sand

Chapter 14: Piximon's School of Hard Knocks

Chapter 15: Strength of the Spirit

Chapter 16: A City of Scavengers, Scum, and Smiths

Chapter 17: Scrap Scavenging 101

Interlude 2: Pony Vs. Wild

Chapter 18: Morning in Melas